Kingdom Hearts The Lost Apprentice
by Xattm
Summary: Master Yen Sid senses a dark presences in the worlds. Could it be Master Xehanort beginning to start another Keyblade War, or is it a new enemy? Master Yen Sid asks Sora, Donald, and Goofy to investigate this matter. What they discover is a long forgotten Keyblade wielder whose sudden appearance could threaten the safety of Sora and his friends.


Dust blows freely around, nothing in its way for miles. The only sound that can be heard is the dust hitting the blades stuck into the ground long forgotten. Their shine rotted away over the years by the always moving dust. Nothing has stood in its way for over ten years.

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of blades planted firmly in the ground that stretch for miles in every direction. The blades are all of different shapes, sizes and colors. Yet all the blades have one thing in common; they all resemble keys. They have neither been held nor seen in combat in some time.

Far beyond the key shaped blades lay a small cave. Even the dust does not seem to touch it. From the outside there are no signs of life, just like the rest of the barren wasteland. Light is completely swallowed up by the cave's mouth never to return again. The darkness seems to be the only thing inside the cave remained undisturbed.

For the first time in years, the darkness gives out a pulse as if sensing a disturbance.

Something creeps out the darkness slowly, moving towards the mouth of the cave. The darkness dare not follow it outside where the light shines so brightly.

A small, hooded, cloaked figure passes through the threshold of darkness into light. The cloaked figure is not all bothered by the light or the dust that hits it, trying to rot it away like it has the blades. Two long ears stick out from underneath the hood and seem to twitch a little as if sensing something far away. The cloaked figure slowly raises its head, hidden underneath the hood, looking up at the sky which is also covered in dust.

"Master?"

In his right hand a key shaped blade appears out of nowhere. This blade seemed simple in design compared to the other blades around. It has a simple black square guard with a simple straight grey handle stretching out from it. The teeth at the end resemble a crown. A keychain hangs from the end of the weapon shaped like three circles combined together but in its center is a small blue eye.

"You have finally returned, but where?"

The cloaked figure looks around, almost as if to see someone else. Maybe even from someone to answer back. But neither happens. It stands still again, except for the ears which begin to twitch again.

"The evil fairy…"

The cloaked figure raises its free hand and opens it almost as if to reach for something invisible. Instead darkness spills out of the ground and moves upward forming an oval. Without any hesitation, the cloaked figure walks straight into the darkness. The figure is enveloped and disappears. The darkness collapses into the ground leaking into the cracks. The dust continues to blow around not noticing the strange disturbance.

The Sea of the Skies. Floating in it are billions of stars, each said to be a different world. It is said the worlds used to be connected together before they were torn apart from each other. Each of these worlds has many inhabitants, most of which are unaware of the existence of other worlds. There are some though that do know and are aware of the evil forces that threaten the worlds each and every day.

Floating within the Sea of the Skies is a small patch of land. On this land is a tower decorated in stars and moons all around it making it hard to miss to anyone who finds themselves traveling the vast sea. A true sense of tranquility emits from the tower and has said to have attracted many a traveler.

Inside the tower at the very top level is the world's only true inhabitant. A tall, elderly man wrapped in a robe blue as the sky outside his window. A long grey beard drops from his face almost to the ground. On his head rests a blue, pointed hat decorated in stars and a crescent moon much like the mysterious tower. Light radiates brightly from him.

This man is the great wizard Yen Sid.

Yen Sid sits at his desk studying a large tome hoping to find something he may have missed. Perhaps some secret that even in all of his knowing may have missed or overlooked. He strokes his beard gently as he loses himself to deep though. Could the answer be not in this tower in one of his many books but elsewhere in another world? But this thought is quickly lost.

At once, Yen Sid straightens himself up silently. Something is not right. He quickly stands up and moves behind his chair towards the window and looks out it into the Sea of the Skies. A distant star briefly twinkles in and out before returning to its natural state. Yen Sid regains his composure.

"Xehanort…has it begun?" he asks while stroking his beard again.

As he continues to stare at the star that twinkled moments ago, a door opens on the right. A girl emerges from the behind the door and shuts it. She has dark red hair that barely touches the shoulders and is wearing a short, light pink dress with a black belt around her waist. She stands in front of the door she just came through staring at Yen Sid.

"Master Yen Sid, is everything all right?" she asked.

Yen Sid stares at the window a little longer even after the question was asked. Then slowly he turns his head to look the girl straight in the eyes.

"Something, or rather someone has awakened," Yen Sid answered.

The girl has a confused look on her face. In the short time she has been staying at the tower, she was used to Yen Sid saying cryptic things that made little sense to her. She believed it to be part of her training she was undergoing. But this statement seems to have nothing to do with her so she questions further.

"What do mean? A person who has been asleep?"

Yen Sid now turns his entire body towards the girl and states "Kairi, please send a letter to Sora summoning him here right away. I shall do the same for Mickey, Donald, and Goofy."

The girl, named Kairi, is surprised by Yen Sid's request. Yet she does not question yet because it means she will get to see someone very special.

"Of course Master Yen Sid." She gives him a small bow before turning around and disappearing behind the door she come through moments ago.

Yen Sid now turns himself back towards the window and gazes out it. All the stars he can see look peaceful yet he fears that will not last for long. Yen Sid thought they had more time to prepare. But he cannot shake the feeling that is has begun, that a dark individual has begun to put an evil plan into motion. If they are to be ready, he must call upon the boy once again to investigate.

**Mysterious Tower **

The silent air around the tower is briefly disturbed as a ship readies to land. If not for its size, the ship could easily be mistaken for a child's toy. All the pieces perfect squares comprised of different colors that shine so bright. The only piece that is not square is a glass dome center on the top of the ship. A low hum emits from the ship as it gracefully lands on the ground near the tower. Once on the ground, the hanger underneath the ship opens up and four figures emerge.

The tallest of the four is the first to be seen. He is a boy of fifteen dressed mostly in black with yellow belts wrapped around the top of his legs and waist. His pants are extremely baggy and move with the slightest motion. The hood on his short sleeved jacket also ripples slightly. Around his neck is a crown necklace. His brown hair, extremely spiky, darts out in every direction. This is Sora, a wielder of a weapon called the keyblade.

"Finally here! I can't wait!" Sora cheered excitedly while stretching his arms high up in the air.

His entire life, Sora lived in a world called the Destiny Islands. A small world covered almost entirely by ocean with a few small islands. Over a year ago, the creatures of darkness known as Heartless came to his world with the intent of enveloping it in darkness. It was this experience that Sora discovered he had been chosen to wield a weapon called a Keyblade, the only weapon the Heartless feared. Though his world was destroyed, he survived by landing in another world. Soon Sora went on a journey to defeat the Heartless and their masters.

Since then, Sora had been on three more quests. His most recent one was a test set up by Master Yen Sid to see if he had earned the title of Keyblade master. Unfortunately, he was deemed to not be ready. This did not bother Sora at all who, despite everything he has been through, retains a cheerful personality.

Sora was overjoyed to receive a letter requesting he come to Yen Sid's tower at once. Though he did not know the reason why, all he cared about was he would be able to see someone very special whom has been away for some time.

"Come on guys, hurry up!" Sora yelled.

"Slow down Sora!"

A second individual had just departed the ship. Standing behind Sora was a small white duck with a large yellow mouth. He wore a simple blue outfit and a round blue hat on his head. This was Donald Duck; one of Sora's traveling companions on his many adventures. Donald is the court magician of Disney Castle, his home world. He has been well trained in the art of magic which he used to assist Sora many times on their quests. Donald is also known for his short temper which is frequently set off by him and Sora disagreeing on any given topic.

"We don't want to keep Master Yen Sid waiting!" Sora replied cheerfully.

"Aw phooey!" mumbled Donald.

"A-hyuck aw that's not the reason he's in a hurry Donald. He's excited to see you know who."

The third individual emerged from the ship. He was almost as tall as Sora but it is difficult to tell given the way he walks. His face was that of a dog's, complete with long floppy ears. He wore a green sweater with a black, sleeveless vest over it. His yellow pants were baggy like Sora's and swayed as he walked. On his head was a tall yellow hat with red goggles around them. Strangely, it looked like the goggles had never been used once. This was Goofy, the other travel companion of Sora and Donald. He serves as the captain of the royal knights at Disney Castle, despite the fact he doesn't like violence all that much. Though a bit clumsy, he is very much the voice of reason amongst the trio of adventurers.

Donald snickered at Goofy's comment. Sora stopped and turned around to face both of them. "Hey! What's that suppose to mean?"

Donald and Goofy look at each other and laugh while Sora hangs his head annoyed.

"Sora's right fellas. We need to hurry and see what Master Yen Sid wants that is so urgent."

The fourth and final individual descended from the ship. He was also small like Donald but with two large round ears sticking out on the top of his head. He wore a red outfit with oversized yellow shoes. A tail stuck out of his pants and waved back and forth on its own. This was Mickey Mouse, King of Disney Castle and a certified Keyblade Master. He trained under Master Yen Sid many years ago and now keeps a close on the state of the worlds.

At the sight of Mickey, Donald and Goofy both quickly stand up straight and look their king right in the eye.

"Yes your majesty!" they both chanted.

Sora, happy to see the King agree with him, turns around on a heel and runs towards the front door of the tower. Donald and Goofy also turn around and break into a run to try and keep up with Sora. King Mickey walks at his own pace behind the three. Sora reaches the door and pulls it open with all his strength. Once open wide enough, he runs in leaving the door open behind him for Donald and Goofy to follow suit. King Mickey continues to walk at his own pace behind the trio. Once inside, he shuts the door behind them.

Inside the tower, a radiant white light shines. The only thing in this room is a spiral staircase leading up. Sora has already begun running up it with Donald and Goofy following behind. King Mickey continues at his own leisurely pace. The stairs eventually lead to another door. Just as before, Sora opens the door before continuing on.

A small circular room is on the other side of this door with nothing inside it except for a door on the opposite wall. Sora dashes across the room to the door while Donald and Goofy try to keep up with him. This door reveals a staircase going straight up. Though hard to tell, the staircase appears to float in midair. This series of doors, empty rooms, and stairways continues until finally Sora pulls open a particular door revealing a brand new room.

Standing in the doorway, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey take in the familiar surroundings. Bookcases filled with books cover most of the walls inside the study. A large wooden desk is situated in the center of the study with a large chair behind it. Light flows in from the crescent moon shaped window behind the desk and chair. While Sora is busy looking around the room, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey turn their attention to the man sitting at the desk.

Yen Sid immediately looks up at his guests to acknowledge their presence. With this simple glance, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey stand up straight waiting to be spoken to. Sora, whom is in front of the three, continues to dart his eyes around the room as if looking for something or someone. Donald, annoyed by his rudeness, tugs on Sora's arm. Sora looks down at Donald to see what is so important. Donald points to Yen Sid who Sora now sees staring at them. Sora quickly removes Donald's hand from his arm and stands at attention like the others.

"You have arrived at last. Good. There is something important we must discuss," Yen Sid said.

The four travelers took this as their cue to ease their posture but Sora was quick to speak.

"Master Yen Sid, where is Kairi? I mean, she is the one who sent me the letter to come here. So I thought…"

Yen Sid quickly cut Sora off saying, "I know you are eager to see her since she left the islands. However right now she currently busy training with Merlin and the three good fairies. "

Sora hung his head in disappointment. Yen Sid noticed this and smiled. "I assure you, she was also disappointed she would not see you today. She speaks of you often. She asked me to pass along her sincere greeting with the promise that you and she will see each other soon. You need not worry. Kairi is coming along very well in her training."

Sora raised his head to acknowledge Yen Sid's words. He gave a weak smile, still unable to hide his disappointment in not seeing Kairi.

Kairi is someone very special to Sora. She was born in a world called Radiant Garden. However when she was about four or five year olds, she somehow appeared on the Destiny Islands where Sora lived. There she grew up and became good friends with Sora and an older boy named Riku. On the night the Heartless invaded the islands, Kairi's heart chose Sora's heart to take shelter in while her body was transported to a distant world. Most of Sora's first journey as a Keyblade wielder was find and save her from the Heartless. Just as Sora had rescued her and finally reunited with her, he had to go away leaving her back on the islands.

Sora was gone for a year and Kairi waited on the islands the entire time for him to come home. Sora missed her greatly while he was away and the only thing he could ever think of was getting home to the islands to see her. However an evil group kidnapped Kairi in the hopes of corrupting Sora. Once again Sora came to her rescue and after a year apart they were finally reunited. In the process, they learned the shocking truth that Kairi could wield a Keyblade.

To prepare for an upcoming battle, Yen Sid had Kairi come to his tower so he could help properly train her in using the Keyblade. This occurred while Sora was partaking in a test to see if was ready for the title of Keyblade Master. So Sora has not seen her since the last time he left the islands to come to the tower for the test.

King Mickey looked up at Sora's face and decided it was best to change the subject.

"Master Yen Sid, may I ask why you summoned us here?"

Yen Sid's smile was quickly replaced with a much more serious look. He began to stroke his beard, a sign that he was deep in thought. Sora's expression also became more serious as he remembered Kairi said in her letter that Yen Sid had something important to discuss with them. Donald and Goofy had worried expressions on their face at the thought of what Yen Sid wants to discuss.

"I called you all here because I believe Xehanort may have made his first move towards starting another Keyblade War," Yen Sid answered very seriously.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey all gasped in shock. Though they had expected this, they had all hoped it would be something else. But this was Xehanort they were talking about and anything was possible.

Master Xehanort; the cause of all the problems Sora and his friends have faced in the past several years. A Keyblade master who believes light has become too dominant in the worlds and threatening the existence of darkness. He wants to bring back an equal balance between light and darkness while ruling the worlds. To do this, a war between wielders of light and darkness must take place. The ensuing battle would trigger the creation of the ultimate weapon, the X-Blade. Whoever wields the X-Blade can use it to summon and unlock Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds. Whoever controls Kingdom Hearts controls all the worlds which is exactly Master Xehanort wants so he can bring back a balance between light and darkness. Master Xehanort has been trying to accomplish this task for over ten years.

King Mickey and Yen Sid had long believed Master Xehanort met his end ten years ago. But during the Mark of Mastery exam Sora and Riku were taking to earn Keyblade Master Status, Master Xehanort returned and announced his plan to create twelve dark copies of himself (making for a total of thirteen Xehanorts) to face off against seven Keyblade wielders of light in a Keyblade War. But his plan was delayed by King Mickey and Riku. Xehanort and the copies of himself he had so far succeeded in creating disappeared to parts unknown, but not before promising his plan would come to fruition.

"Garwsh Master, are you sure?" asked Goofy.

Yen Sid sighed heavily before answering, "No, I am not."

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey all had very confused looks on their faces.

"Allow me to further explain," said Yen Sid.

He got up from his chair and walked behind it towards the crescent moon shaped window. He stared out it towards the stars in the sky and began to speak.

"Last night I sensed a disturbance in a world where the original Keyblade War was held. Something had awakened there, something dark. I assume it to be Master Xehanort and yet I cannot be sure. Before I could be sure if it was Xehanort or not, the dark presence disappeared from the world. I have no sensed it since," Yen Sid explained.

"But Master Yen Sid, it had to be Master Xehanort. The world you're talking about is where ten years ago he tried the first time to start the Keyblade War! It has to be him! Who else could it be if not Xehanort?" questioned King Mickey.

"That is precisely why I called you all here today," answered Yen Sid.

Now Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey put all their attention onto Yen Sid. He turned around and returned to his chair sitting down.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I want you three to investigate this mysterious presence at once. Discover if it is Master Xehanort or someone else," said Yen Sid.

"But if it's not Xehanort, who else might it be?" asked Donald.

"I do not want to make any assumptions," said Yen Sid sternly.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all look at each other confused. They understand what Yen Sid is saying but they are not sure they understand what he is asking. King Mickey appears to be thinking along the same line.

"What about me Master? What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"You have heard what I have to say and are aware of the threat that may threaten all of us. I want you to return to Disney Castle to protect it and everyone one there," answered Yen Sid.

Based on the surprise look on King Mickey's face, this is not what he had expected his master to say. He opened his mouth several times to try and say something but words failed him. He finally seemed to find the words he was looking for.

"Master Yen Sid, I can help Sora! If this is Xehanort, I want to…" King Mickey began to say but Yen Sid held his hand up to stop him from talking further.

"I am not even sure if this is Master Xehanort. This could be someone else working for Xehanort to throw us off guard. Or maybe this is someone with their own goals and agendas separate from him. Until we know for sure, it is best to protect the other worlds. That is why I had Riku remain on the islands and also have Lea remaining in Radiant Garden. I need you to protect Disney Castle. Once Sora, Donald, and Goofy have obtained more information then you may be able to assist them," explained Yen Sid.

"But…," objected King Mickey.

"Don't worry Your Majesty! Donald, Goofy, and I can handle this! We'll find out if this is Xehanort or someone else and stop them from whatever it is they're doing! You have nothing to worry about!"

Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement to this. Sora had a big smile on his face and King Mickey couldn't help but trust him. He nodded his head in agreement to Sora's words. Confident in all of this, Sora turned to Yen Sid wanting to ask one more question.

"So if the dark presence isn't at the Keyblade Graveyard anymore, where do we start looking for it?" Sora asked.

Yen Sid began stroking his beard, deep in thought.

"Unfortunately I have not been able to…"

Yen Sid stopped speaking and his whole body straightened up. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey watched worried as Yen Sid darted out of his chair towards the window. He looked out it towards the sky. Sora and King Mickey ran to his side to look at whatever it was Yen Sid was staring at. A star was beginning to twinkle far off into the distance. It was a different star from the one Yen Sid observed the previous night.

"I believe Sora our question has just been answered. The Heartless have suddenly become very active in the world of Enchanted Dominion. It is the home world of Princess Aurora and the three good fairies," said Yen Sid.

"Then that's where we'll start looking!" said Sora.

He ran towards Donald and Goofy who were waiting for him. They prepared to exit the tower when Yen Sid spoke again.

"There one more thing you should know Sora. Enchanted Dominion was also once the home world of Maleficent. I am sure this is not a coincidence," Yen Sid said gravely.

"Maleficent. Okay we'll be careful and make sure Aurora is safe," said Sora confidently.

Maleficent was another foe Sora and his friends had faced many times in the past. She is an evil fairy who desires to rule all worlds with an army of Heartless. During their first journey, Maleficent lead a group of villains from various worlds to build an army of Heartless and obtain seven maidens whose hearts were devoted of darkness. Known as the Princesses of Hearts, they are needed to open the Door to Darkness which beyond it lays Kingdom Hearts. Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeated her but she returned not long ago seeking revenge and continuing her goal of obtaining Kingdom Hearts. If this dark presence was indeed in the world she once called home, then Sora needed to get there fast.

Without another word, Sora, Donald and Goofy ran out the door, down the tower, and outside where their ship was. The three of them entered the ship and prepared for takeoff. King Mickey quickly came running out of the tower and entered the ship with them.

"Take me back to Disney Castle. I'll stay in contact with you three while you explore Enchanted Dominion. I wish I could go with you three but I have confidence that you'll all figure out what's going on," said King Mickey.

"Of course we will Your Majesty!" said Donald.

"We'll be back before you know it," Goofy said happily.

"Well then, let's get going!" cheered Sora.

Within a few moments, the ships purred to life and began to hover off the ground. Once it was in the air, it roared confidently and shot off into space back towards Disney Castle.

From within the tower, Yen Sid watched out his window as the ship disappeared from view. He stroked his beard as he gave out a worried sigh.

"This presence was not Xehanort, that I am certain. But then who? Could it be…? No, it would not be possible. Sora, Donald, and Goofy will discover the truth. I hope…"

Once he finished mumbling to himself, Yen Sid left his spot at the window moving towards his bookcase. He ran his hand down the spines of many books looking for a certain one. He eventually found it and pulled it off the shelf. He was not bothered by the amount of dust that fell off the book onto his face. Yen Sid glided back to his desk and retired into his chair. He opened the book to a page he had marked long ago and studied it carefully for the longest time.

"Has this much time really passed since then? It does not seem possible. It seems like it was only yesterday."

Yen Sid became lost in his own thoughts and memories.

**Sea of the Skies **

The Gummi Ship made good time traveling to Disney Castle to drop off King Mickey. The trio could tell he was still unhappy about being asked to stay behind while they went out, but never the less he gave them a big smile and wished them luck on their journey.

Before departing for Enchanted Dominion, they were joined by one more guest. None other than Jiminy Cricket. An actual cricket, Jiminy has traveled with Sora, Donald, and Goofy on all their adventures keeping notes of everything that happens in his handy journal. This proves useful in keeping track of everywhere they have been and everyone they have met on their journeys.

As the Gummi Ship departed Disney Castle and plotted a course for Enchanted Dominion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy brought Jiminy up to speed on everything Yen Sid had told them. Jiminy made sure to write all of it down in his journal.

"A mysterious presence huh? And it could or could not be Master Xehanort. How odd…," Jiminy pondered.

"Yen Sid thinks it's in Enchanted Dominion, where Princess Aurora lives," added Sora.

"That's worrisome, especially since Princess Aurora is one of the seven Princesses of Heart," said Jiminy.

The Princesses of Heart are seven maidens with hearts completely void of darkness. When all seven are brought together, they have the power to open the Door to Darkness where Kingdom Hearts lies. Sora, Donald, and Goofy saved them on their first adventure when Maleficent kidnapped them all. The seven Princesses of Heart are Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Alice, Belle, Jasmine, and Kairi.

"And that's not the most worrisome part. Master Yen Sid this world is where Maleficent is from!" Goofy added.

"But Maleficent can't be there, can she?" asked Donald.

"The King said she showed up at Disney Castle while Riku and I were in the Realm of Dream for our test. But she disappeared. So I guess she could be anywhere," said Sora.

"Well I guess we won't know until we check out Enchanted Dominion," said Jiminy confidently.

"Right and if Maleficent is there, we'll remind her why it's a bad idea to mess around with the worlds when we're here!" said Sora happily.

"Look we're almost there!" yelled Donald.

Jiminy retreated to his usual safe place underneath Sora's hood. Out the window of the Gummi Ship they could see Enchanted Dominion getting closer to them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy prepared for landing as the ship descended into the world below.

**Enchanted Dominion**

The silent forest showed no signs of life. The animals that could usually be found in the trees or near the river were nowhere to seen or heard. No wind blew meaning the trees were quiet as well. This was very unusual for this forest that was normally brimming with life all around. Something was wrong.

The silence was pierced by the Gummi Ship landing in a glen with a large thump that would have normally scared off all the local wildlife. When the ship went silent, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stepped out into the world they have never visited before. The three of them observed their surroundings looking for some kind of landmark with no success.

"Isn't there a castle somewhere around here?" asked Sora.

"I told you not to land here!" scolded Donald.

"Where else was I suppose to land? On the roof of the castle?" asked Sora sarcastically.

"At least then we wouldn't be lost!" snapped Donald.

While they argued, Goofy took the initiative to look around. Most of the trees were so tall he couldn't see very far in the distance. Noticing a hill, he made his way to it and climbed up. Now he could see what they were looking for. Sora and Donald continued to argue.

"Hey fellas, is that the castle over there?" Goofy asked while pointing.

Sora and Donald stopped arguing to see what Goofy was talking about. They climbed up the hill he was standing on and looked in his direction. In the distance they could see a castle towering over everything else around it. Luckily for them, it didn't look like it was too far away.

"See, I knew what I was doing!" said Sora confidently.

"First time for everything," mumbled Donald.

"I heard that!" yelled Sora.

Goofy sighed. He was used to them arguing but truth be told, he found it funny. He moved in front of them and beginning walking through the trees towards the castle while Sora and Donald followed behind him bickering over something else entirely.

As they continued through the forest they did not encounter any other people or living things. The forest remained eerily silent except for Sora and Donald arguing over nothing in particular. Something was definitely not right about this. Something had all the living things in the forest so spooked they refused to come out into the light.

The trees began to thin out and in the distance was a large stone bridge that stretched out to the gates of a magnificent castle. Large stone walls surrounded the many towers that made the castle. Completely gray the color, the sun shining light on it made it look much more glamorous.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood in awe as they stared at the castle. The three had seen many a castles on their various journeys yet they continued to be impressed with each new one they saw. They stood frozen in place appreciating the might and beauty of the structure.

This silence was broken by screaming coming from the direction of the castle.

"Uh-oh," muttered Donald.

"Sounds like trouble," said Sora.

"Let's go fellas!" cheered Goofy.

The three broke into a run across the bridge. The screaming was becoming louder as they neared the gates. And now multiple screams could be heard as well. Something was very wrong inside the castle. Sora reached the gate first but his attempt to open it failed as it was locked tight.

"The gate's locked!" said Sora frustrated.

"Then use the Keyblade!" said Donald annoyed.

"Oh right! I knew that!" said Sora.

Donald and Goofy hung their heads. Sora always seemed to forget he had a weapon that could open any lock. Sora held his hand out in front of him and concentrated. His Keyblade appeared out of a bright shine of light and Sora grabbed hold of it.

Sora's Keyblade was very simple in design. The guard was a simple yellow square with a black handle in the middle. The staff was simply gray and circular. The teeth at the end resembled a crown. A keychain dangled from behind shaped like King Mickey's head.

Sora stretched the Keyblade in front of him aimed at the castle gates. The end of the weapon was engulfed in a circle of light. From it a ray of light shot forward hitting the gate directly. From the gate, the sound of a lock being opened could be heard. Sora lowered his Keyblade and ran towards the gate. It opened with no force required. Sora went in with Donald and Goofy right behind him.

Through the gate was a large open courtyard. It was hard to see what was all in the courtyard as it was filled with guards and other people crowding together in fear. It didn't take long to see why they were all afraid and screaming at. Surrounding the frighten people were strange creatures completely black in color. They somewhat resembled small people hunched over. Yellow eyes pierced everything around them and antennas twitched on the top of their heads. It was the Heartless.

When a Somebody (person with a heart, mind, and soul) gives into the darkness in their heart, be they good or evil, they transform into a Heartless. Creatures devout of any emotion and completely mindless, they seek out others hearts to corrupt and transform into other Heartless. They are drawn to darkness or those with a lot of darkness in their hearts. The Heartless have been on constant threat on many of Sora's journeys.

Sora readies his Keyblade for battle while Donald and Goofy summon their respective weapons. Donald carries a staff which sports a miniature purple hat at the top. Goofy wields a small round shield, gray in color and sporting the symbol of King Mickey.

Having battled the Heartless so many times before, Sora, Donald, and Goofy charged into a battle without giving any thought. Sora bends his knees down low to be at the same level as the Heartless and swings his Keyblade hard. It makes contact with several Heartless whom are sent flying. The Heartless fade away in midair, in their place hearts appear and float up into the sky away from view. When a Heartless is slain by a Keyblade, the heart in which it was born from is freed and returns to the great heart Kingdom Hearts.

Donald and Goofy are no slouches at defeating Heartless either. Donald uses his staff to cast powerful, mostly elemental, magic to defeat the Heartless. Goofy meanwhile throws his shield at the Heartless. Once it makes contact, it boomerangs back to him. Goofy can also hold his shield out in front of him then spin himself like a top bouncing off defeated Heartless into others. Donald provides support to his teammates by casting protective spells and healing them should they get weak.

The guards and townspeople watch as the three strangers take out hoard after hoard of Heartless. Many of the people begin to move towards the opposite end of the courtyard where the entrance to inside the castle is. In a few minutes, all the Heartless are gone. Sora, Donald, and Goofy stand in the center of the courtyard surveying the damage. The people cheer for them but it does not last long.

Suddenly a giant Heartless appears where Sora, Donald, and Goofy had entered the courtyard. This Heartless looked very different from the ones just defeated. It resembled a knight riding a horse dressed in ceremonial clothing. It appeared to have no legs yet instead of floating. Yet the sound of hooves stepping on stone could still be heard. The knight riding the horse was covered in black armor, yellow eyes shining through the helmet. The chest plate had the Heartless emblem branded on it. The knight was carrying was large lance pointed at Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy prepared for battle yet again when a voice distracted them.

"Keyblade Wielder! I shall assist you!"

A young man dressed in brown clothing wielding a sword and large shield appeared at the entrance of the castle. Both is brown hair and red cape rippled and waved as he ran towards the trio bypassing the giant Heartless.

"I am Prince Phillip. I shall fight alongside you to protect the people and castle."

"Ok then!" agreed Sora.

The four fighters took a stance then charged the Heartless. The Heartless prepared to swing its lance but Donald cast a Thunder spell to temporally paralyze it. Sora and Prince Phillip ran in opposite directions around the Heartless to get behind it. Sora jumped out high in the air and raised the Keyblade high above his head. Meanwhile Prince Phillip readied his sword aiming it at the Heartless' back. On cue, Sora's fell gracefully planting the Keyblade into the head of the Heartless while Prince Phillip's sword pierced its armor stabbing it hard in the back. Sora landed right next to Prince Phillip. They retreated away from the injured and confused Heartless as Goofy spun his shield hard and threw it at the Heartless' chest. The shield hit it square on causing the Heartless to hunch over backwards. For the finishing move, Sora tossed the Keyblade hard and it struck the Heartless hard. It disappeared as a freed Heart floated above.

Once again the people cheered for their heroes. Prince Phillip lowered his sword and shield while Sora, Donald, and Goofy's weapons disappeared into light. As the cheering died down, the people dispersed in different directions. Sora, Donald, and Goofy turned to face Prince Phillip.

"Thanks for your help. Um, what did you say your name was again?" asked Sora.

"Prince Phillip. And I believe you are (he pointed to each of them) Sora, Donald and Goofy."

"Garwsh, have we met before?" asked Goofy.

"No we haven't but I've heard much about you three from Aurora," answered Prince Phillip.

"You know Princess Aurora?" asked Donald.

"I sure hope so. I am her husband after all," laughed Prince Phillip.

Donald and Goofy got slightly red in the face but Sora did not notice and continued with his own questions.

"So is Princess Aurora here? We need to see her."

"Of course, she is inside. Follow me," said Prince Phillip.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed Prince Phillip as he led them inside the castle. They found themselves inside a huge a chamber, most likely meant to host many people at once. The ceilings were extremely high making the room seem bigger. At the very end of the room where two thrones situated next to each other and raised slightly. As the four got closer to the thrones, Sora immediately recognized the young woman standing in front of the thrones looking down nervously.

Princess Aurora looked exactly the same as Sora remembered her a year ago. Her most striking feature was her wavy blonde hair that dropped below her shoulders. The next striking feature of Aurora's was her bright blue eyes. Aurora was dressed in a beautiful pink dress that barely touched the floor but glided when she walked. A gold tiara sat on top of her blonde hair.

Aurora heard the footsteps and looked up. A bright smile broke across her face when she saw who was coming towards her.

"Phillip, you're all right! And Sora, Donald, Goofy! It's wonderful to see you again!"

Prince Phillip stood back while Sora, Donald and Goofy reunited with Aurora. It has been over a year since they last saw her. She and the other Princesses of Heart had been kidnapped by Maleficent and held captive at the world Hollow Bastion. Sora, Donald, and Goofy stormed the world, defeated Maleficent and freed all the Princesses of Heart. They soon returned to their own worlds shortly after.

"Good to see you again too!" said Sora.

Donald and Goofy both gave a small bow towards Princess Aurora who giggled.

"I see you've already met Phillip. I've told him all about you three, the Keyblade, and what you've done for me," explained Aurora.

"Don't worry though, I haven't told anyone else about anything like other worlds or the Keyblade," Prince Phillip said suddenly.

Those who are able to travel to other worlds know that the worlds and their population cannot know about the existence of other worlds for fear there would be a breakdown in order. Princess Aurora and the other Princesses of Heart of course know they exist because of what happened a year ago with Maleficent. The rules also say travelers cannot meddle in the affair of other worlds but Sora, Donald, and Goofy rarely if ever follow this rule.

"Thank you for your help in taking care of the Heartless. I'm sure that is why you came," said Aurora.

Sora quickly explained about the presence Yen Sid had sense and how he believed it was in this world.

"That would explain the sudden appearance of the Heartless," said Aurora sadly.

"When did they first show up?" asked Sora.

"Just today," answered Aurora.

"I had never seen them myself before. They were much more difficult to defeat then I had expected," said Prince Phillip.

"Any idea where they might have come from?" asked Sora.

"Well there is only place they could have come from. The Forbidden Mountain on the other side of the forest," said Aurora.

"Where the ruins of Maleficent's castle lie," added Prince Phillip.

"Garwsh that's right. Master Yen Sid said this place was also Maleficent's home world," said Goofy.

"Have you seen her here recently?" asked Donald.

Aurora seemed very confused by Donald's question.

"Oh that's right you probably don't know. Maleficent somehow returned from the realm of darkness a little while ago. She's still trying to take over the worlds," explained Sora.

Aurora and Prince Phillip's expressions quickly changed. Aurora's bright smile had been replaced with a look of absolute worry. Prince Phillip was shocked but he made his way to Aurora to comfort her.

"If what you say is true, we have not seen any sign of Maleficent in years. If she had returned here, she would make sure everyone in the kingdom knew," explained Prince Phillip.

"Was this dark presence your Master Yen Sid sensed that of Maleficent?" asked Aurora worryingly.

"We're not sure. That's why we're here, to investigate. And it sounds like the best place to start is Maleficent's old castle," said Sora.

"I shall accompany you to the castle. If there are more Heartless there, you will need support," said Prince Phillip.

"Ok sounds good," agreed Sora.

"Phillip…" Aurora began to say.

Prince Phillip put his hand gently on her shoulder and used his other hand to slightly raise her head up so they made eye contact.

"Do not worry. We shall be back in no time. You stay here in the castle where it is safe and wait for us to return," said Prince Phillip softy.

Though she still looked worried, Aurora nodded her head in agreement and gave her bright smile again. Prince Phillip turned to face the trio.

"Let's leave right away. Maleficent's castle is just beyond the forest at the Forbidden Mountain. I remember the way there all too well so we should get there in no time," announced Prince Phillip.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy agreed and followed Prince Phillip as he led them out of the audience chamber to the courtyard outside. They crossed the courtyard to the gate leading to the stone bridge. The four ran across it and reentered the forest. The trees began to get thick again as they ventured further into the woods. The eerie silence that Sora, Donald, and Goofy had encountered when they first arrived had returned once again.

They passed the Gummi Ship and went further into the woods. Soon the trio noticed as they followed Phillip that the ground was slopping upward. The light from the sun was also beginning to diminish despite the fact it was still well into the afternoon. The ground below them was slowing turning from a bright lively green to a rotting brown. The trees around them also began to look nearly dead.

"Whoa…" gasped Sora.

The scenery had now completely changed. They were standing on the edge of a mountain with no signs of life around them. Despite the fact Sora was still pretty sure it was the middle of the afternoon, the thick clouds kept any light from touching the area giving the impression it was always dark. A single rocky path spat out from the edge of the mountain and winded up towards a gothic looking castle.

"It's been a long time since I've laid eyes on this castle," said Prince Phillip.

"You've been here before?" asked Donald.

"When Aurora was a baby, Maleficent cast a curse on her that when turned sixteen years and pricked her finger on spinning wheel causing her to die. But a good fairy by the name of Merryweather was able to change the curse so instead of Aurora dying she would fall into a death like sleep. She could only be awoken by true love's first kiss. So Maleficent kidnapped me and held me hostage in her castle so the curse could never be broken," Prince Phillip explained.

Sora, Donald and Goofy were in awe of the Prince's story. They heard all sorts of stories on their travels through the different worlds, each one more magical then the next. Many of the stories however all had a common theme; love is a powerful force and can conquer even the most powerful forces of darkness.

"Garwsh, just when you think Maleficent can't be more evil," said Goofy.

"No kidding," agreed Sora.

"Come, that path will take us up to the castle or what's left of it," said Prince Phillip.

Prince Phillip led the trio onto the narrow path. Goofy made the mistake early on of looking down. He walked faster and closer to Sora and Donald. Sora had a very uneasy feeling as they neared the castle. But it was only natural. They were after all going into a castle that Maleficent once called home. Sora still remember when he, Donald, and Goofy stormed another castle Maleficent had claimed for herself, Hollow Bastion. That castle was filled with some of the most powerful Heartless Sora had even seen and he wondered if this castle would be the same.

The four travelers finally reached more solid ground and were standing right in the entryway of the castle. One look around made it clear nobody had inhabited the castle in a very long time. It was falling apart all around them. A large cloud of dust hung on the castle heavily making it hard to see and breathe. There were also bows and arrows darted around and in pieces.

"It sure doesn't look like anyone is here. In fact it doesn't look like anyone has been here in years," said Sora.

"Still, I'd like to be completely sure. There's a doorway here somewhere that leads to Maleficent's throne room. If she is here, that is where she would be," said Prince Phillip.

"Ok, lead the way Prince," said Sora happily.

Donald and Goofy didn't seem as sure as Sora did about searching the castle ruins. They looked at each other nervously before following Sora and Prince Phillip through the crumbling courtyard. Truth be told, it looked like the entire castle could come down at any minute. How it was still standing after being abounded for so long was a mystery.

There seem to be no sign of life anywhere as they neared the entrance to inside the castle. Not even a sign of the Heartless. Something was definitely not right. Still Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Prince Phillip pressed on entering the castle.

The outside of the castle was creepy enough. The inside however was straight out of someone's worst nightmare. Stone bats that looked like they could come alive at any minute decorated much of the castle. Torches that not been lit in years seemed to rot away on the wall. A cold draft hung heavily inside the castle.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Prince Phillip were standing inside a large circular room that was large enough to fit a small army. Along with the doorway they had just come in, there was another doorway leading deeper into the castle on the other side. On their left were stone stairs leading up to a malevolent looking throne. It could only belong to one person.

"Maleficent," Sora said.

With that one word, the Heartless appeared in the room surrounding all four of them. Their clicking sound echoed all through the castle. On instinct, Sora, Donald and Goofy summoned their weapons while Prince Phillip drew his sword and raised his shield. Seeing the weapons as an invitation, the Heartless charged them.

Sora and Goofy charged a group of Heartless while Donald stayed back shooting off fireballs from his wand. Prince Phillip took on a group of Heartless by himself. Being mindless, the Heartless are unable to plan and coordinate attacks so it is easy to fight them. Still, a large group always brings the threat of being over whelmed.

Unlike the others, Prince Philip was not use to fighting the Heartless as he was already getting worn down by them. Sora saw this and ran to his aid. Sora stopped in front of Prince Phillip and held the Keyblade out. Then he began to spin himself around creating a small vortex around him that drew the Heartless in. Unable to escape the Heartless wiggled helplessly in the air as the Keyblade struck them all. Donald and Goofy defeated their group of Heartless so quickly ran over to assist. Donald cast a healing spell on Prince Phillip while Goofy attacked the few remaining Heartless.

With the Heartless defeated, Sora stopped spinning around to catch his breath. Prince Phillip slowly got his feet and surveyed the room to make sure the Heartless were indeed gone. He then looked over at Sora who was clutching the Keyblade.

_"A source of power. A key that opens the hearts of men, of entire worlds, and allows one to obtain anything and everything,"_ Prince Phillip recited.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared at Prince Phillip surprised at what he said.

"When I was held prisoner here, I heard Maleficent say that to a young woman who also could wield a Keyblade. Seeing you use it Sora makes me see what Maleficent meant," explained Prince Phillip.

"A young woman who could also wield a Keyblade?" questioned Sora.

Donald and Goofy now looked at each other almost as if both realizing something at once.

"Do ya think he means…" began Goofy.

"Master Aqua?" finished Donald.

"Master Aqua. Do you mean, the Keyblade master that the King knew and who disappeared years ago?" asked Sora.

In the letter Sora had received not too long from the King explaining the return of Master Xehanort, it also explained that over ten years there were other Keyblade wielders who had mysteriously disappeared after they faced off against Master Xehanort. It was the King's belief that Sora may be able to find them and rescue them from their unknown fates.

"Yep, we met her a long time ago," replied Goofy.

"But she disappeared," said Donald sadly.

"Aqua helped free me from this castle dungeon and to defeat Maleficent. It was thanks to her I was able to save Aurora from the curse," said Prince Phillip.

"That's amazing," said Sora in awe.

Just then they heard an echo. It sounded like the clicking sound the Heartless made but it was coming from further within the castle. Then there was another sound, or rather a voice. Neither of the four could make out what it was saying or even who the voice belong too.

"We are not alone," said Prince Phillip.

"Let's check it out," declared Sora.

Without another word, the four traversed deeper into the castle. The echoing clicking sounds were getting louder. The voice came and gone but they were still unable to make out who it was or what was being said. They dashed down the hallway that leads to another large open room.

This room was square in shape and almost completely empty. At the far end of the room looked to be some sort of shrine. Gathered around the shrine were a small group of Heartless and a very small figure cloaked in black. The cloaked figure's back was turned towards Sora and the others. It did not seem to realize it was no longer alone. Instead, it was mumbling to itself.

"No sign of the witch. Doesn't look like she's been here for years. So the master definitely isn't here. But then were would he…"

The figured turned around causing the Heartless to move out of its way. The figure was startled when it saw Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Prince Phillip at the end of the room.

"Hey! Who are you guys?"

Sora was able to get a good look now. The voice was high pitched (though not as much as the King's) but the figure was definitely male. The first thing Sora noticed about the figure was how short he was. In fact he was almost the same height as the King if not for long ears that stuck straight up and twitched occasionally. The mysterious figure was wearing a very familiar black cloak that covered him up entirely including his face.

"Hey, we were going to ask that!" shouted Donald.

"Are you the reason the Heartless are here?" asked Sora.

"Are you in league with Maleficent?" asked Prince Phillip.

"Maleficent? I came here looking for the witch but she ain't here! But you still haven't answered my question! Who are you guys?" asked the figure.

"Tell us who you are first!" demanded Sora.

"I don't have time for this! I've already wasted enough time looking for the witch! Heartless, attack!"

The mysterious figure pointed towards the four of them and the Heartless followed. Prince Phillip drew his sword and shield while Sora, Donald, and Goofy called forth their weapons. The mysterious figured jumped back when he saw Sora summon his Keyblade. His long ears twitched furiously.

Sora and Goofy teamed up to take on one group of Heartless while Donald and Prince Phillip took on the other group. The mysterious watched intensely as the group fought off the Heartless. The battle didn't last long as the Heartless quickly fell. Now the four fighters turned their attention back towards the mysterious figure who was now staring at Sora's Keyblade.

"You're a Keyblade wielder?! And you two!" The figure was now turning his head left and right looking at Donald and Goofy.

"You're all apprentices to him aren't you? You've come to take me out! Well you're all out of luck today!" said the figure angrily.

Behind him a portal of darkness rose up from the floor. The figured walked backwards into the portal and disappeared into it. The darkness collapsed onto the floor. Sora and the others ran to the sport where the figure had been but there was no sign or clues left behind.

"Who was that guy?" asked Sora.

"He was also looking for Maleficent," added Prince Phillip.

"But why?" asked Donald.

"Didn't he say something about a master?" suggested Goofy.

"Yeah, he said the master isn't here and I don't think he was talking about Maleficent," said Sora.

"One thing is for certain. Maleficent is not here and was not behind the sudden appearance of the Heartless," said Prince Phillip confidentially.

"So what now?" asked Donald?

"For now, let us return to Aurora," answered Prince Phillip.

"Good idea. Let's get out of this creepy place," said Sora.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Prince Phillip returned to Aurora's castle just as the sun was beginning to set. They met with her in the audience chamber and explained everything that had happened. Like Prince Phillip, she was relieved that Maleficent had not returned or was behind the appearance of the Heartless. But like them, Aurora was also concerned about the mysterious figure.

"So who was he?" she asked.

"No idea. But he was wearing a cloak similar to ones worn by members of Organization XIII so he definitely wasn't with Maleficent," explained Sora.

Organization XIII was a group of thirteen Nobodies who studied the Heart and interfered in the affairs of other worlds. As Nobodies, they were once complete beings who lost their hearts to darkness. But when their hearts left their bodies becoming Heartless, their bodies begin to act on a will of their own. Since Nobodies are just a body and soul, they are considered to not truly exist being shunned by both light and darkness.

The Organization's goal was to study hearts in the hopes they could get hearts of their own. They all wore black cloaks with silver chains to protect themselves when traveling through corridors of darkness. Each member had control over a certain element and wield a weapon (or in some cases weapons) that corresponded with their element. However thanks to the efforts of both Sora and Riku, the Organization was brought down and defeated.

"But why was he looking for her then?" asked Prince Phillip?

"I don't know but he seemed to be looking for someone else too, maybe someone he thought would be with Maleficent," suggested Sora.

"Garwsh, do you suppose he was the dark presence Master Yen Sid sensed?" asked Goofy?

"Of course he was!" said Donald.

"Well whoever he was, I don't think he's in this world anymore which means we should be moving on," said Sora.

"Do you have to go so soon?" asked Aurora?

"Yeah, we need to find out who this guy is and what he's planning before he causes more trouble," explained Sora.

"Well Sora I wish you luck. Thank you for your help," said Prince Phillip.

"Hey, it's no big deal. It was good to meet you and I'm sure we'll see each other again real soon," said Sora happily.

As a response to this, Prince Phillip gave a small bow to them.

"Let's get to the Gummi Ship!" declared Donald.

But before they could go, Aurora held Sora back.

"Sora, have you seen Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather recently?" she asked.

"No I haven't. They've been helping Kairi train with her Keyblade," answered Sora. His thoughts quickly changed to Kairi.

"Kairi can wield a Keyblade? That is wonderful! Please give her my regards when you see her and the three fairies. They haven't been home in so long I knew they had to be helping Master Yen Sid with something important," said Aurora happily.

"Yeah, I'll do that," Sora tried to say happily, but now he was reminded of how he hasn't seen Kairi since she began her training with Yen Sid.

"Sora! Come on!" yelled Donald. He and Goofy were waiting for him by the front door.

Sora quickly snapped back to his senses, waved goodbye to Aurora and Prince Phillip, and then ran to catch up with Donald and Goofy who were already out the door.

The trio ran through the courtyard and onto the stone bridge that connected the castle to the forest. Clearing the bridge, they entered the forest once again. They quickly noticed something different about the forest as they entered. They could hear the sounds of animals off in the distance. The wind was rustling the trees and water. The forest was no longer silent perhaps as a sign that a dark presence had left and all life in the forest could sense the return of peacefulness.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy found the clearing where they had landed the Gummi Ship and entered it. Donald made preparations to take off while Goofy inspected all the gauges to make sure they were a go for launch. Sora's mind was still on Kairi, wondering how she was doing with her training.

Sora was once again snapped back to his senses as they Gummi Ship roared to life and began to hover off the ground. It raised high above the trees and then in an instant shot upwards into the sky leaving the world of Enchanted Dominion further and further behind. Soon they were flying through the Sea of the Skies.

**Sea of the Skies**

Donald and Goofy contacted their home world of Disney Castle to report to the King what had happened in Enchanted Dominion. Sora and Jiminy were discussing this as well.

"Hmm, someone was looking for their master. And they thought their master would be Maleficent. Whoever he was must not know Maleficent hasn't been in her home world for ten years," Jiminy explained.

"So who is that guy's master? More importantly who was that guy?" Sora asked?

"I'm not sure but something else he said is bothering me," said Jiminy solemnly.

"What's that?" questioned Sora?

"Well did you notice his reaction to Donald and Goofy after he saw you with the Keyblade? He said 'You two! You're all apprentices to him aren't two! You're all apprentices to him aren't you?" quoted Jiminy.

"Yeah that was weird," agreed Sora.

Their conversation was cut off when they heard King Mickey's voice on the monitor at the front of the ship. Sora dashed up front to be a part of the conversation.

"Hey fellas, did ya find anything or anyone in Enchanted Dominion?" inquired King Mickey?

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded their heads in agreement and began to tell King Mickey everything that had happened including the mysterious figure wearing an Organization XIII cloak. When they finished, there was a moment of silence as King Mickey thought everything over.

"Well it definitely sounds like whoever he was is the dark presence Master Yen Sid sensed. He was controlling the Heartless, using a corridor of darkness to travel, and wearing an Organization XIII coat. Hmm I wonder…" said King Mickey.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy hung on every word of King Mickey's waiting for him to come with a brilliant revelation as to the mysterious figure.

"Gosh, I'm just not sure," King Mickey finally said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy hung their heads in disappointment. They had really hoped King Mickey had it all figured out.

"So what do we do now your majesty?" Donald asked?

"Well let me talk to Master Yen Sid really quick and see what he says," said King Mickey.

The connection cut off there. All they could do for was for now was wait for King Mickey to contact them again since they had no idea where to go to next.

"Garwsh, where do you suppose that feller went?" asked Goofy?

"Probably looking for Maleficent or his master," answered Donald.

"Too bad we don't even know who his master is," Sora said with a sigh.

"Well let's see, it has to be someone who might have been with Maleficent cause that's why that feller was looking for her in the first place," said Goofy.

"Ok, who do we know that might be with her?" asked Sora?

"What about Pete?" asked Donald?

Pete was the biggest bully around. He used to live in the same world as King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy but his entire trouble making eventually got him banished from the world. He soon met Maleficent and became her lackey, traveling to different worlds on her behalf building an army of Heartless for them to use to conquer all worlds. However, Pete was not the brightest bulb making frequent blunders and mistakes.

"Why would anyone want Pete for a master? The guy can't even tie his own shoes," said Sora.

"Well I don't see you coming up with any ideas," mumbled Donald.

"Hey I'm thinking here!" shouted Sora.

Luckily their argument was cut off by King Mickey contacting them again. They quickly presented themselves in front of the monitor.

"Looks like that fella is already causing trouble in another world and it's a home world for another Princess of Heart," said King Mickey quickly.

"Garwsh which Princess is in trouble now your majesty?" asked Goofy?

"Princess Belle," answered King Mickey.

"So he's in Beast's Castle," said Sora.

"We'd better get their right away!" exclaimed Donald.

"Be careful fellas. Master Yen Sid said the presence has grown stronger since he last sensed it. You three need to find him and confront him," explained King Mickey.

"Will do your Majesty!" said Sora.

The communication cut off as the trio returned to their seats and plotted a course for the world known as Beast's Castle. Jiminy hoped up on Sora's shoulder.

"Do you suppose that person is still looking for Maleficent and thinks she's in Beast's Castle?" asked Jiminy.

"Only one way to find out," said Sora.

The ship lunged forward and took off into the Sea of the Skies tracking a course towards the world known as Beast's Castle. This was a world that Sora, Donald, and Goofy had visited before so they were very familiar with it and its inhabitants.

Belle was another one of the seven Princesses of Heart who was kidnapped by Maleficent over a year ago. She is an extremely intelligent woman who loves books and stories. Belle's home world is a magnificent castle owned by a young prince and inhabited by many servants. When Belle was kidnapped was Maleficent, the young prince used sheer will power to travel from his world to the world where Belle and the other princesses were being held. He helped Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat Maleficent before rescuing the princesses.

If what Jiminy believes is true, the mysterious figure they encountered in Enchanted Dominion may be going to Beast's Castle because the Prince and Belle had dealt with Maleficent personally similar to Aurora and Prince Phillip. And if the figure believes Maleficent is there, maybe he believes his master will be there too. Either way it all means that Belle's world is in danger of the Heartless.

"Garwsh, do you suppose the curse has been broken on the Beast and everyone else?" Goofy asked after a long moment of silence.

"I sure hope so. It was looking really good when we left," said Sora.

There was a reason the world was known as Beast's Castle. Many years ago, before Belle had even met the Prince, an Enchantress disguised as an old beggar woman placed a curse on the Prince and everyone in the castle. This was because the Prince was extremely selfish, greedy and refused lodging to the old beggar woman. The curse turned all the servants in the castle into living inanimate objects while the Prince transformed into something to fit his cold heart; a Beast. In order for this cures to be broken, the Beast had to truly love someone and be truly loved in return. Had this curse been broken?

**Beast's Castle **

Sora, Donald, and Goofy landed the Gummi Ship on the edge of the forest where the entrance to the castle was located. As they exit the Gummi Ship and looked up at the castle they noticed a huge difference in it from the last time they were here. Before an eternal shadow seem to cover the entire castle. The architecture was once gothic in design, with several of the statues depicting horrible creatures.

But that was not the castle Sora, Donald, and Goofy were looking at now. This was being bathed in the warm light. The once horrific statues were now replaced with stone angels who seemed to be protecting the castle. The stain glass windows glowed in brilliant color that reflected off the light. No broken windows were in sight. Even the gate before them looks much less menacing.

"Whoa…" gasped Sora.

"Are ya sure we are in the right world?" asked Goofy?

"Of course it is!" said Donald excitedly.

"So…was the curse broken?" asked Sora?

"Let's go find out!" said Donald.

He opened up the gate in front of them and ran across the stone bridge while Sora and Goofy followed as fast as they could behind him. This particular stone bridge held a lot of memories for Sora and the others. It was where they fought and defeated Xaldin, a member of Organization XIII who had tried to turn the Beast into a Heartless.

They entered the courtyard which was lively as well. Birds flew in and away around the courtyard. Beautiful stone columns decorated the courtyard. Flowers were in bloom all around the walls soaking in the sunlight.

Donald and Sora reached the front door first and quickly pushed them open entering the castle.

"Garwsh, maybe we should have knocked first," Goofy said to himself.

Goofy followed the two of them into the castle. Once he was inside he found Sora and Donald in the Foyer looking around. Much like the outside of the castle, the foyer was covered in light making the area feel very warm and welcoming. They were also looking around at all the different people walking around, most likely the servants of the castles. It was looking more and more promising that the curse on the castle had indeed been broken.

"Look at this place!" exclaimed Sora.

"It's magnificent!" added Donald.

"It sure looks nicer than before," agreed Goofy.

As they all looked around the foyer in awe and amazement, a tall, skinny, well dressed man approached them from the right. He was extremely well dressed in a very poofy like outfit. His brown hair was tied into a ponytail in the back.

"Welcome dear guests to the castle…Sora! Donald! Goofy!"

The trio turned around to face the man who called their names but none of them had met him before. Yet his face did look familiar for some reason and his voice was also similar. For some reason, Sora was reminded of a candelabra he had met here last time. Could it be…?

"Lumière?" asked Sora.

"Indeed! Indeed!" he said excitedly.

"You're human! So that means…" said Sora excitedly!

"Yes! The spell, it was broken! And it is thanks to you three for your help from before," said Lumiere excitedly.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy giggled. Lumiere is one of the top servants and tasked with welcoming all guests to the castle. Under the curse, Lumiere had been transformed into a candelabra. Very much a romantic type, he played a big part in helping the Prince navigate his feelings for Belle.

"So tell me my most welcomed guests, what brings you three back to our most wonderful castle?" asked Lumiere?

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other almost hoping one of them would find the right words so not to worry Lumiere or anyone else in the castle.

"Have there been any other guests here at the castle really recently? Maybe that looks out of place?" asked Sora carefully.

Lumiere took only a second to think before coming to an answer.

"Ah yes I do believe I know who you are talking about. I heard from one of the other servants that they did see someone enter the castle while I was attending to another matter. I was just going to go welcome them when I saw you three enter. Perhaps you would like to accompany me in finding the other guest?" explained Lumiere.

"Sure we can do that," agreed Sora. Behind him, Donald and Goofy also nodded their heads in agreement.

"Splendid! I believe the guest was seen entering the West Wing so we shall start our search there! Follow me!" said Lumiere.

With Lumiere leading the way, Sora, Donald and Goofy followed slowly behind him. Up the staircase passed the large doorway that led into the castle's ballroom. On the left a spiral staircase lead to a smaller entryway. Lumiere held the door open while Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered. Lumiere shut the door behind them.

The four were standing in grand hallway with a high ceiling that most likely touched the sky. Armored statues stood guard all down the hallway hold shields and spears. Servants could be seen entering and leaving in doors all along the hallway. The castle was truly alive and well.

"So, how have things been?" asked Sora?

"Wonderful! Simply wonderful! The castle, she is back to how she was so long ago! It is good to have visitors again!" said Lumiere happily.

"How about Belle and the Prince?" asked Donald?

"They are so happy together. All is as it should be! They will both be so happy to see you three again!" answered Lumiere.

"Garwsh, we're excited to see them too," said Goofy.

One of the servants noticed Lumiere and began to run towards him. She wore a professional looking black outfit complete with a very short skirt. She was also holding a feather duster in her right hand. She smiled playfully and held her arms out towards Lumiere who did the same. The servant ran into Lumiere's open arms wrapping her arms around him and Lumiere did the same.

"Ah Fifi, what is the rush?" asked Lumiere?

"Oh Lumiere, you must see the strange guest with Princess Belle, in the library!" answered the servant named Fifi.

"That is just where we were heading my darling! Fifi, this is Sora, Donald, and Goofy, friends of the prince and princess," Lumiere said while motioning his hand towards them.

Fifi, still entangled in Lumiere's arms, waved at the three of them.

"Pleases to make your acquaintances! I've heard so much about you! I'm Fifi!"

Donald and Goofy waved high back but Sora was stepping forward to ask a question.

"Fifi, is this guest wearing a black coat by chance?" he asked.

"Oh no, no, no, no, not at all! Come see for yourselves!" assured Fifi.

She and Lumiere separated and she led them towards a door in the hallway she had just come out of. Fifi opened the door and held it opened while Lumiere, Sora, Donald, and Goofy proceeded inside. Shutting the door, Fifi followed behind them.

Sora was so stunned by the room they were in he stopped causing Donald and Goofy to walk into him. They were standing in a large stone marble room with every single space of wall covered in books. The books were of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. The aroma of book pages filled the entire room. Several spiral staircases lead to a second level that held even more books. The railings and decorations were all coated in gold that sparkled off the light coming in from the two large windows at the opposite end of the room. A few desks could be seen placed around, some of them housing a book or two. As Sora began to wonder just how many books were in the room, he heard voices in the distance.

At the opposite end of the library was a large desk situated near a marvelous mantle. At the desk were two women talking with each other, one sitting down at the desk and the other standing up. Sora right away recognized the woman sitting down as Belle.

Belle was another one of the seven Princesses of Heart. As she had once told Sora, Donald, and Goofy, she was the daughter of an inventor in a small village located on the other side of the forest. She had come to the castle over a year ago looking for her father who had gone missing. It turned out he was being held captive by the Beast who thought him a trespasser. Belle offered to take her father's place which surprised the Beast. She lived in the castle and slowly over time the Beast and Belle fell in love. She was eventually kidnapped by Maleficent causing the Beast to go to her rescue.

After Sora, Donald, and Goofy helped the Beast rescue Belle, the two of them returned to their home world. During their second adventure to defeat Organization XIII, the trio came to their home world to check up on them only to find the Beast was being manipulated by Xaldin, a member of the Organization. Sora, Donald, and Goofy helped Belle by freeing the Beast from Xaldin's control.

Now Sora was looking at the other woman who was standing up and talking to Belle. This woman did not look familiar to Sora, Donald, or Goofy. She was very tall with a slim build. The young woman wore brown leather boots that almost went up to her ankles. The rest of her long legs are exposed. Some sort of brown outfit could be seen underneath the white coat she was wearing. She was also wearing blue gloves on her hands. Around her waist was a brown belt, hanging off it was a black case that held a weapon of sorts. Perhaps the most notable thing about her was her light pink colored wavy hair.

This woman clearly wasn't the same person Sora, Donald, and Goofy encountered back in Enchanted Dominion. She didn't seem dangerous and no Heartless around meant she didn't have the kind of heart to attract them. So who is she? Sora the others followed behind Lumiere and as they got closer they began to make out what Belle and the woman were saying.

"I'm so sorry I'm not able to help you in your search. Maybe someone else in the castle…" Belle was saying before the woman cut her off.

"It's all right. I had a feeling this was a long shot anyway. I'll just search elsewhere," said the mysterious woman. The tone of her voice was deprived of any emotion.

She turned around, seemly ready to make her exit, except she turned her attention upward towards the second floor of the library. She stared up for moment before returning her to focus to in front of her. She then began to walk out of the library but not before glancing at Sora, Donald, Goofy, Lumiere, and Fifi. She exited the library and disappeared.

Belle looked at the library entryway for a moment before she noticed others where in her presences. She began to smile as she saw Lumiere and Fifi but then stood quickly and smiled even bigger when she saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy behind them. Lumiere and Fifi moved out of the way while Belle sprinted past them and met Sora with a hug.

Belle looked exactly the same as she did the last time Sora had seen her not too long ago. She was still wearing her long blue dress with a white apron down her front. Her brown hair was tied in blue ribbon right below her shoulders.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Belle said happily as she proceeded to also hug Donald and Goofy.

"It's good to see you again too," said Sora.

"The castle sure does look pretty," Goofy commented.

"Thanks to your help, the curse was broken and everything returned to normal. I can't thank you three enough," said Belle.

"Ah, we didn't do much," Donald said while blushing.

"Hey Belle, who was the woman you were talking too?" asked Sora.

"Oh her? Well, now that I think of it, I never got her name. She came here in the library wanting to look at the books for information. I offered to help her since I've read a great number of the books here but the questions she was asking made no sense to me," explained Belle.

"What kind of questions?" questioned Lumiere?

"Something about gods and a term she kept saying. I'Cie I think it was. To be truthful I suspect she might have been from another world," said Belle.

Now thinking about it, Sora thought she did look a little bit out of place in the castle. Could she be from another world? If so, does she have any connection to the mysterious individual they saw at Enchanted Dominion? Belle noticed that Sora looked to be deep in thought.

"I have a feeling you aren't just here visiting," she said.

Together, Sora, Donald, and Goofy explained everything that was going on. The mysterious presence Master Yen Sid sensed in Enchanted Dominion, the events that took place there, the mysterious individual wearing the black coat of Organization XIII, and how they believed he was here. Belle remained very calm as she took in all this information at once. Once the three of them finished telling her everything there was a brief silence. The look on her face told Sora she was doing some serious thinking. Finally Belle spoke.

"We need to tell Adam right away. Everything is finally normal now and the last thing we need is the Heartless or Organization XIII messing things up again. Adam can put the entire castle on high alert and find this mysterious individual," Belle said seriously.

"Uh begging your pardon Miss Belle but who's Adam?" asked Goofy.

Belle's serious face quickly disappeared to make room for a small smile on her face.

"That's the Beast's real name. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you three," Belle answered.

Donald and Goofy turn to each other and nodded happily. Belle turned towards Lumiere and Fifi.

"Can you find the young woman who was just in here? She seemed sincere but if she is from another world I want to make sure she has nothing to do with this person Sora and the others are looking for. If nothing else make sure she is safe," Belle said.

"Of course madam! We will find her right away!" said Lumiere.

Together Lumiere and Fifi turned around and left the library to search for the mysterious pink haired woman.

"All right, Adam should be in room so let's go," said Belle.

"Hey Belle…we're sorry for the trouble again," Sora said sadly. He could tell Belle was not happy at the thought of the Heartless and maybe someone from Organization being back in the castle.

But Belle merely smiled. "I know it's not your fault. Besides you, Donald, and Goofy being here makes me feel much safer. I know I can count on you Sora."

Sora smiled back at her then together the four of them left the library and reentered the West Wing. It was a short distance across from the library and they climbed a small flight of stairs that led to a door. Sora remembered that this door led to a small hallway that on the other end of it was the Beast's room. They entered the hallway, crossed it, and came to a large door. Voices could be heard from within. Belle opened the door and together the four of them entered the room.

It was a very large and neat room. The last time Sora was in here it was a mess which was a result of the Beast's violent outbursts. All the curtains, beddings, and even the carpet were free of claw marks. A few paintings hung from the walls. At a table two men were talking over cups of (what Sora suspected to me) hot tea.

The first man closest to them and facing in their direction was large man wearing a suit that seemed almost too small for him. His hair was brown and styled in a very fancy matter. Around his neck was a golden pocket watch he wore like a necklace. Sora knew right away who this must be.

"Cogsworth is that you?"

Cogsworth, the personal butler to the prince, turned around and became very excited when he saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Oh my word! I did not know we had such special guests visiting!" exclaimed Cogsworth.

During the time of the curse on the castle, Cogsworth had been turned into a miniature clock which fit his personality of all always following the rules and being precise on everything he said and did.

Cogsworth turned towards the other man whose back was turned towards the others.

"Sire, look who has come to visit us again!" exclaimed Cogsworth.

The man turned around to face Belle, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. He was extremely handsome with his long flowing brown hair and bright blue eyes that could shine through anything. The man was wearing a very formal blue suit that looked very familiar to Sora.

"Beast…is that you?" Sora asked cautiously.

The man smiled. "I don't go by that name anymore Sora. Call me Adam."

It was indeed their old friend. Donald and Goofy stood in place with their mouths wide open from the shock. They knew the Beast was really human but it was still weird to actual seem him not in his primal form. Yet he still looked strong and could probably still take on an army of Heartless without breaking a sweat.

"What do you think?" asked Prince Adam?

"You look amazing!" said Donald.

"Real handsome like," added Goofy.

"I'm glad to see the curse was finally lifted. You deserve it Beast…I mean, Adam," Sora said correcting himself.

"Well I couldn't have done it without your help. You helped me rescue Belle from Maleficent and Xaldin. If you, Donald, and Goofy hadn't been there I don't know what would have happened to all of us," said Prince Adam.

"It was nothing," said Sora slightly embarrassed.

"So tell me, what brings you three back here so soon? Did you defeat the rest of Organization XII?" asked Prince Adam?

"Yeah, but…" began Sora.

"Adam, Sora says there is someone going around wearing a black coat commanding the Heartless and he might be here in the castle," explained Belle.

Both Prince Adam and Cogsworth's faces fell when they heard this. Once again, Sora explained everything that had been going on. When he finished, Prince Adam turned towards Cogsworth.

"Put the castle on high alert. Allow no one to enter or leave until we find this intruder," he instructed Cogsworth.

"Yes sire, right away!" agreed Cogsworth who quickly left the room.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, could you escort Belle back to her room in the East Wing? I'll send guards to meet you there who will look after Belle. I'll join you three in searching for this person in the black coat," instructed Prince Adam.

"You got it," answered Sora.

"Adam, I don't want to stand by while you and the others are fighting," said Belle fiercely.

"Belle, whoever this is may be after you. He went to Princess Aurora's home world most likely to capture her. He may be after other Princesses of Hearts," said Prince Adam softly.

The look on Belle's face made it clear she did not like Prince Adam's reasoning. She was more than capable of fighting and defending for herself. Sora hadn't forgotten how she briefly fought Xaldin to escape from him.

"I don't want to risk losing you again to the Heartless," added Prince Adam.

Belle still did not like this, but she finally agreed with a small nod.

"Don't you worry Belle, we'll take care of this quickly," said Goofy happily.

"Yeah, that guy won't know what hit him," added Donald.

Belle gave a small smile and began to walk towards the door.

"Sora, meet me in the foyer once Belle is safe in her room," said Prince Adam.

"All right, see you soon," said Sora.

Sora turned heel and followed Belle, Donald, and Goofy out of Prince Adam's room. They crossed the hallway and exited it into the West Wing. Cogsworth had been busy by the looks of it as the servants of the castle were scrambling around locking doors and looking all over for anything or anyone out of place.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy tried to hurry down the West Wing but Belle was moving slowly. She clearly had something on her mind that was bothering her greatly.

"Why doesn't he trust me?" Belle finally said as she stopped in place.

Sora knew exactly what she was talking about.

"It's not that he doesn't trust you Belle, he's just worried about you. He doesn't want to lose you again like when Maleficent kidnapped you," said Sora.

"I can take care of myself, he should know that," argued Belle.

"He knows that, I'm sure of it. Maybe it's just because you've helped him so much now he wants to return the favor," said Sora.

As he said this, Sora remembered what Kairi had said when she protected him from the Heartless.

"_This time, I'll protect you." _

"_Time time, I'll fight." _

Once again, Sora was wondering how Kairi was doing with her training. But this time he pushed it aside knowing right now it was important to protect Belle.

"Thank you Sora," said Belle.

"Hey, we better get moving!" yelled Donald who had gone ahead of them.

"We're coming!" shouted Sora.

Sora, Belle, and Goofy ran to catch up with Donald who had made it to the door leading to the foyer. Just as they were about to open the door, they heard a scream on the other side. Donald and Goofy pushed the door open so Sora and Belle could pass through. The four of them ran down the spiral staircase that lead to foyer and saw a horrible sight.

Lumiere, Cogsworth, Fifi, and several other servants huddle together in a circle as several Heartless surrounded them moving in slowly. Sora, Donald, and Goofy summoned their weapons.

"Belle, we'll take care of the Heartless! You get the others to safety!"

Belle agreed as Sora, Donald, and Goofy charged in. The Heartless saw them and turned their attention away from the others. There was a much for diverse variety of Heartless this time which would make the fight harder.

"Aero!" shouted Donald!

Donald cast a spell that cloaked the three of them in a barrier of wind to weaken the Heartless' attacks. With the wind barrier and shield, Goofy charged the weaker Heartless destroying them instantly. Some of the Heartless were airborne so Sora kicked off the ground and began attacking them while he hung in midair. Donald cast thunder spells to ground some of the airborne Heartless.

Meanwhile Belle slowly escorted the servants up the stairs and into the Ballroom where they would be safe. One by one, Belle was able to get all the servants to safety. She then returned to the top of the stairs to watch as Sora, Donald, and Goofy finished off the rest of the Heartless.

"Good work!" said Belle.

"Same to you! We make a good team," said Sora.

Suddenly the doors to the ballroom burst open and Cogsworth came running out.

"Sora, come inside the Ballroom quickly!" he shouted nervously.

Sora didn't question why but he, Donald, Goofy, and Belle followed Cogsworth into the Ballroom. This was easily the largest room in the entire castle and most beautiful. The Ballroom was oval in shape and coated in bright yellow. The ceiling above was painted with a mural of angels in heaven. A large chandelier hung down as well.

Lumiere, Cogsworth, Fifi, and the other servants were all crouched together near the door Sora and the others had just entered through. They were all staring at something in the center of the Ballroom. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Belle stared in the same direction and quickly saw it; a small figure wearing a black coat with long ears sticking out underneath the hood which hid his face. The ears were twitching franticly.

"You again!" yelled Sora!

"Yeah, me again! What about you three? How did you know I was here?" asked the figure angrily?

"His majesty King Mickey told his!" answered Donald.

"I knew it! You three are his apprentices! He sent you guys to stop me!" said the figure.

"You know King Mickey?" asked Goofy.

"Know him? What are you...Wait, are you saying you guys don't know who I am? He didn't even tell you who I am? Why that little…" the figure grumbled angrily.

"Enough talk! Who are you? Why are you doing this? Are you still looking for Maleficent?" questioned Sora.

"Maleficent? Are you still hung up on that? I was only looking for her because I thought my master would be with her! Then I sensed the witch and my master in this world so I came here!" explained the figure.

Sora remembered hearing him say something about a master back at Enchanted Dominion. It was time to get some more answers.

"So who is your master?" Sora asked?

"Are you kidding me?! You don't know who I am yet your chasing me around different worlds and you don't know Master Xehanort?" said the figure very angrily.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were both shocked when he said this. Master Yen Sid said the dark presence reminded him of Master Xehanort and now they may know why. If what the figure said was true, he is Master Xehanort's apprentice.

"You're Master Xehanort's apprentice?" asked Sora shocked?

"That's right! I sensed his presence had returned to the Realm of Light so I've been looking for him. I didn't sense him at all in the witch's world then I come here sensing both of them on someone. I thought it was her (he points at Belle) but then I realized it was him," explained the figure.

He swiftly moved over to reveal behind him Prince Adam knocked out and slumped on the floor. Belle tried to run to him but Donald and Goofy held her back for her safety.

"Adam!" shouted Sora!

"Pretty interesting guy. I sense both the witch and Master Xehanort on him and that he has traveled to another world. Not something you encounter every day. There is something else interesting about him I sense. He has a strange darkness inside of him, a violent one. Now I wonder what would happen if someone were to unlock that darkness in his heart…" said the figure.

"Unlock the darkness in his heart?" asked Belle worried?

"Well if you insist…" said the figure evilly.

The figure held out his right hand for a moment. Then in another moment, a Keyblade appeared in his hand. It looked just like the ones Sora and King Mickey wielded except it was a different color scheme. The guard was black and the staff was gray. The keychain was the same except it had a small blue eye in the center of it.

The shock of finding out this figure was Master Xehanort's apprentice was one thing but now finding out he had a Keyblade was almost too much for them to handle.

"You have a Keyblade?!" shouted Sora!

"That's right! Now let me show you how I use it…" said the figure.

He turned towards Adam slumped on the ground and aimed his Keyblade at Adam's chest. A beam of light shot out of the Keyblade, right at Adam where his heart would be. Adam's eyes opened suddenly and were blood shot. The figure moved away as Adam rose up into the air and became engulf in darkness. Something was happening to Adam but no one was able to see what. The sound of clothes being ripped could be heard. Then the sound of a very familiar roar echoed through the Ballroom.

The darkness cleared and out of it came a Beast. The very same Beast Adam had transformed into under the curse. He was massive in size. The Beast was covered in brown fur with shards of his suit tangled in it. Curved horns stuck out on the top of his head aimed directly at Sora. Lines of sharp fangs could be seen in his mouth as he snarled. The claws on his hands and feet were just as sharp as his fangs. The Beast was attempting to stand on his hind legs but was finding it difficult so he resorted to all fours.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy readied their weapons though none of them had it in their hearts to fight their friend. But the darkness clouding the Beast's eyes made it clear he was unable to differentiate between friend and foe. The clocked figure was chuckling.

"It looks like your luck has just run out," he said.

Belle ran past Sora, Donald, and Goofy and stood in front of them facing the Beast.

"Adam, it's me us! Your friends!" she shouted at him.

The Beast roars loudly and begins to charge towards the crowd of people. Sora quickly dives in front of Belle and holds his Keyblade in front of him. The Beast raises his arm, attempting to swipe Sora but it clashes with the Keyblade. Sora holds the Keyblade as hard as he can to prevent the Beast from making contact with him.

"Belle…get the others…out of here," said Sora strained.

"I won't leave you here alone!" demanded Belle.

Sora puts all his remaining strength into the Keyblade to swing it causing the Beast to be thrown back. He seems to barely notice this and again charges towards Sora. Seeing Sora temporally caught off guard from that last attack, Donald and Goofy to his aid. Goofy holds his shield up in front of Sora while Donald uses his aero spell to spin the Beast around and send him flying across the ballroom. Donald then casts a cure spell to heal Sora.

"There must be something I can do!" said Belle.

"Garwsh Belle, you're the person he most cares about. Maybe you can reach him somehow," said Goofy.

"But how?" asked Belle?

"Just reach out to his heart," answered Goofy.

Belle nodded her head in agreement.

"Better hurry!" shouted Donald.

The Beast was stirring after being thrown across the Ballroom and was looking directly at Donald. He roared fiercely and began to charge towards Donald. Quickly, Donald casts a blizzard spell on the floor causing the Beast to slide around. Unfortunately the Beast slides right towards Donald. Donald shouts and runs back towards Sora and Goofy. Belle runs past Donald then stops right in the spot where the Beast has stopped sliding. He sniffs the air sensing someone in front of him then raises his arm. Sora prepares his Keyblade, but Goofy holds him back. Donald looks completely confused by this who readies his wand.

"Adam, I know you're in there. You've fought the darkness before and won. I know you do it again," Belle says bravely.

At first it seems the Beast is about to strike Belle, yet he just stands there with his arm still raised in the air. Belle firmly stands there staring into the Beast's eyes. Slowly, the Beast lowers his arm and the anger in his face seems to disappear to be replaced with a look of sadness.

"Belle…" growls the Beast.

"What are you doing to stupid animal?! Attack them!" shouts the figure!

Upon hearing this, the Beast becomes furious again. But this time he turns around to face the mysterious figure and begins charge towards him.

"No! Don't attack me!" yells the figure!

He jumps really high to get out of the Beast's way. In fact, he jumped so high he was able to land onto the chandelier. The Beast looks up and sees him then roars loudly.

"You want a piece of me? Fine!" says the figure.

With his Keyblade still in his hand, the figure jumps off the chandelier falling towards the Beast ready to attack him. However Sora appears in front of the Beast and jumps up towards the figure. Both of their Keyblades meet in midair in an epic clash. The figure wasn't as prepared as Sora who is able to send him flying into the wall. The figure hits the wall full force and slides down to the floor. The Beast sees this and begins to charge him again.

"This isn't over!" yells the figure before disappearing into darkness.

The Beast stops charging and slowly begins to calm down. Belle runs up to him to make sure he is all right. The Beast slowly turns around and sees Belle. He lowers his head to be eye level with her. Unsure what else to do, Belle walks up and hugs him hard. A light begins to surround her and the Beast. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and everyone else in the Ballroom watch as the Beast slowly transforms back into Adam. Belle continues to hug him and Adam returns to normal. He looks into Belle's eyes for a moment then collapses onto the ground.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy run towards Belle to help her get him on his feet. The other servants run over as well to assist. Together they all carry Adam out of the Ballroom and slowly make their way to his study in the foyer.

Another one of the servants that Sora and the others know, Mrs. Potts, treats Adam's wounds and soon he regains consciousness. Sora, Donald, and Goofy fill him in on everything that just happened while he sits in a large armchair near the fireplace. Belle stands next to him holding his hand.

"After you four left my room, I heard that sound. The same sound Xaldin made when he would appear and disappear from darkness. I saw this short person with long ears standing behind me wearing a black coat. He summoned a Keyblade to trap us inside. He then kept asking me the same question over and over again, 'Where is Xehanort?' Last thing I remember is him lunging at me with his Keyblade," Adam told everyone.

"In the ballroom, didn't he say he sensed both Maleficent and Master Xehanort on Adam?" Belle asked Sora.

"Yeah he did. Adam was with us when he faced Maleficent in Hollow Bastion but he wasn't with us when Riku and the King faced Xehanort in the Dream World," recounted Sora.

"But he was with us when we faced that mysterious guy at Hollow Bastion. Remember after you locked the keyhole?" said Goofy.

"I remember that. The other princesses and I sensed a powerful presence in the room where you fought Maleficent in her dragon form. You and Adam went to investigate it to find a man in black coat," added Belle.

"That's right, I remember that now. We later found out it was Xemnas," said Sora.

"Whose Xehanort's Nobody!" said Donald.

"Well I'll be, that must be why that feller sensed Xehanort on ya," said Goofy to Adam.

"So where is he now?" asked Adam.

"Got away," said Sora sadly.

"But it would seem he took the Heartless with him. We have searched the castle and not found a one," said Cogsworth.

"The young lady with pink hair is also gone. We cannot find her anywhere," said Lumiere.

Sora had completely forgotten about the mysterious woman. Was she from another world? Was she by herself or working with that mysterious figure? Sora decided for now it wasn't important. What was important was finding the figure who claimed to be Master Xehanort's apprentice.

"We hate to leave so soon, but we're going after the figure," said Sora.

"Yeah, we can't let him get away again!" said Donald.

Adam slowly reaches out and grabs Sora's arm.

"Thank you for saving me," he said.

"It's not me you should be thanking, it was all Belle," said Sora.

Adam turned to look at Belle who was smiling at him.

"You saved me plenty of times. This was the least I could do," she told him.

"Belle…" whispered Adam.

"Garwsh, I think we'd better give them some privacy," said Goofy.

"Yeah, let's get going," agreed Sora.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy began to leave the room but Belle stopped them.

"Thank you for everything Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Please come back and visit again sometime. Oh and give my best to Kairi when you return home," Belle said.

"Yeah, I'll do that," said Sora. He hadn't had a chance to tell Belle she was at Yen Sid's tower training. How was her training going?

"Take care Sora!" said Lumiere.

"You are always welcome here!" said Fifi.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy waved goodbye to everyone and left the castle. They made their way to the Gummi Ship and took off for the Sea of Skies headed to wherever there next destination was.

Outside Adam's Castle, the mysterious woman with pink hair is slowly walking across the stone bridge. She then stops for a moment as if listening for something.

"Stop hiding and show yourself."

In front of her appears a corridor of darkness. Walking out of it is the mysterious figure holding the Keyblade in his hand. Seeing this, the woman draws a weapon from the case dangling on her belt. The weapon appeared to be folded up but with one swing it unfolds into a long silver sword covered in gears, wires, and various mechanisms. On the bottom the sword is a trigger meaning the sword also functions as a gun. He holds it out in front of her aimed at the figure.

"Whoa, easy there! I'm not looking for a fight!" said the figure.

"It was you I saw in the library watching me. Tell me who you are!" demanded the woman.

"I'm a just world traveler like you. I'm also looking for someone, just like you are from what I overheard. So I thought we might be able to get along," explained the figure.

The woman doesn't lower her weapon. She studies the figure closely, as if trying to figure out if he is telling the truth or lying to her.

"So you were spying on me," the woman said finally.

"Yeah I was but only cause I was interested in what you were asking that other girl. All about them Fal'Cie, L'Cie, and how your also looking for someone important. Serah was her name?" asked the figure.

Hearing that name made the woman mad, causing her to tighten her grip on her weapon. She also took a step forward towards the mysterious figure.

"You better have a good point," she said quietly.

"Thing is, I'm also traveling around the worlds looking for someone important. I just thought we could help each other out, that's all," said the figure.

"And why should I trust you?" asked the woman?

The figure pointed at his long ears.

"See these long ears? They let me hear all kinds of things from really far away that no one else can. Now I'll admit they aren't the most reliable but it something to go by. What are you doing? Just searching random worlds hoping to get lucky? So you help me out and then I'll help you find the person you're looking for, you have my word," explained the figure.

The woman said nothing. She continued to stare at the figure and process everything he just said. After a few moments of silence, she lowers her weapon.

"All right, you have a deal. But I'm warning you, if this is a trick or you try to double cross me…" said the woman seriously.

The Keyblade in the figure's hand disappears as he makes his way over to the mysterious woman. His ears begin to twitch.

"You have my word. So if we're going to helping each other, I want to know how you've been traveling around if you haven't been using the darkness. But first I should at least know your name," said the figure.

The woman returns her weapon to the case dangling from her belt and looks down on the mysterious figure she has just made a deal with, unsure if she just made a deal with the devil or not. Either way, she decides to answer his question.

"You can call me Lightning," she tells him.

"Ok Lightning, let's talk about a few things…" said the figure.

**Sea of the Skies**

The Gummi Ship returned to the Sea of Skies and soared away from the world of Beast's Castle. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were still trying to process all the information they had obtained during their visit. Yet all the information did was give rise to more questions than answers. Jiminy appeared on Sora's shoulder finishing up an entry in his journal.

"An apprentice to Master Xehanort, I would have never guessed," Jiminy said finally.

"But we still don't know who he is," said Donald.

"Garwsh, do you suppose King Mickey or Master Yen Sid might know?" asked Goofy?

The three of them looked at Sora who wasn't even paying attention. He was looking down at something in his hand. A star shaped token with a small crown in the middle. It appeared to be made out of seashells. One of the shells had a smiley face on it and colored brown towards the top to most likely resemble hair. Jiminy, Donald, and Goofy right away recognized it was Kairi's good luck charm she had given to Sora before he left for the Mark of Mastery exam.

"Sora, I'm sure Kairi is doing fine with her training. Why I bet you'll see her once this journey is all over," said Jiminy reassuringly.

Sora finally looked up. "I just thought things would finally be back to normal and we would all be able to spend time together on the islands again. Maybe even take Kairi to all the worlds we've seen. I think she would really like that."

"A-hyuck! I know she would," said Goofy.

"Especially if it's just you two," said Donald with a grin.

"The sooner we solve this mystery, the quicker you can see her again. I'm positive she misses you very much too," said Jiminy.

"Thanks guys," said Sora finally with a smile.

He returned Kairi's good luck charm to his pocket. Having both Aurora and Belle mention Kairi reminded Sora how little time he got to spend with her between the time he defeated Xemnas, the leader of Organization XIII, and he and Riku were summoned by Yen Sid to partake in the Mark of Mastery Exam. After that, he quickly learned that Yen Sid had Riku bring Kairi to his tower to begin her training in the ways of the Keyblade. Jiminy was right, they had a mission to complete and the sooner they complete it the sooner he gets to see Kairi.

"So that guy, he said he was Master Xehanort's apprentice. He also thought we were apprentices to King Mickey. Where did he get that idea?" asked Sora.

"Goofy and I don't even have Keyblades," said Donald.

"It's just like at Enchanted Dominion, the way he reacted to see you two (looks at Donald and Goofy) almost like he knows you two," said Jiminy.

"Garwsh, I don't think we've ever met him," said Goofy.

"We would remember if we did," added Donald.

"Maybe he knows the King," suggested Sora.

"We should ask him!" said Donald quickly. He got up from his spot and ran towards the front of the ship to contact King Mickey.

"Garwsh, I just I thought of something fellars. If he is the apprentice of Master Xehanort, wouldn't that explain why he's wearing a black coat like Organization XIII," asked Goofy?

Sora nods his head in agreement.

"It would also explain why he has a Keyblade. But what it doesn't explain is why he doesn't seem to know where Master Xehanort is. If he's his apprentice, shouldn't he know?" questioned Jiminy?

"That's true, I mean, we don't even know where Master Xehanort is," said Sora.

"Maybe for now we should see what the King has to say with this new information. I wonder if Donald…" Sora began to say but was cut off.

"Sora! Goofy!" Donald shouted.

The two of them jumped up (Jiminy retreated back into Sora's hood) and made haste to the front of the ship. Donald was staring at something outside the ship. Sora and Goofy looked in the same direction as Donald. Both gasped at what they saw.

Outside the Gummi Ship, galloping along was a giant mechanical looking horse. The horse is slightly bigger than the Gummi ship, pure white, and covered in armor that is gold and dark green in color. Though hard to hear, the sound of gears can be faintly heard. Someone appears to riding on the back of the horse but it is difficult to see who the person is. The person is holding a large hooked shape sword.

"What is that?!" gasped Sora.

"It's a giant horse!" answered Donald.

"That's not what I meant!" snapped Sora.

"Hey fellars, I think we have bigger problems!" shouted Goofy.

The person riding the horse has begun to swing the giant hooked sword they are wielding and strikes it against the wing of the Gummi Ship. The right wing of the ship is ripped apart by the sword causing the Gummi Ship to nose dive and spin out of control.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy are tumbling around uncontrollably inside the ship. Their vision is spinning making it difficult to tell up from down. Sora briefly sees out the front window the mysterious horse gallop away into the distance. Donald and Goofy's screaming is drowning out the sound of alarms going off inside the ship. Sora again gets a quick glimpse outside the window and thinks he sees a world.

"We're going to crash! Brace yourselves!" yelled Sora!

Donald and Goofy each grab hold of their seats trying to brace themselves. Sora takes hold of the control panel trying to force him onto the floor. The ship stops spinning but continues to falls. All the sudden, the ship begins shaking. A cracking heard can be heard outside, almost as if the ship is crashing against something. The last thing Sora remembers before blacking out is the ship slamming into the ground of the unknown world.

**Mysterious Tower **

Yen Sid sits at his desk deep in thought with a worried expression on his face. He just finished speaking with King Mickey and is deeply concerned. King Mickey reported that Sora, Donald, and Goofy made contact with a mysterious individual in Enchanted Dominion then chased him to Beast's Castle. But just now King Mickey lost contact with them.

The door leading to another room opens and Kairi emerges from it.

"Master Yen Sid, was that the King you were just talking with?" she asked.

Yen Sid raises his head up. "Yes it was."

"Has he heard from Sora?" asked Kairi?

Yen Sid does not answer right away. Kairi slowly makes her way to the front of his desk sensing his hesitation.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy made contact with the presence in Enchanted Dominion then followed him to the home world of Princess Belle. However, it would appear Donald attempted to make contact with Mickey before the signal was lost. We do not know where they are," said Yen Sid gravely.

Kairi gasped. "Sora is missing? But why?" she asked in a scared voice.

"That I am also uncertain of," answered Yen Sid.

"I need to look for him! I need to make sure he is okay!" Kairi said fiercely.

"Do not fret. I have sent Mickey to investigate their last known location. Leon shall go to Disney Castle and watch over it in Mickey's absence," said Yen Sid.

Kairi was still visibly worried about Sora. She was trembling slightly though she tried to calm herself down.

"Master Yen Sid, what is going on?" she finally asked.

"I am not sure, but for all our sakes let us hope it has nothing to do with Master Xehanort," Yen Sid answered.

Kairi said nothing and Yen Sid could tell she was still very much shaken up by the news. He smiled at her.

"Why don't you take a break from your training? If I hear from Mickey, I shall alert you right away," said Yen Sid.

Kairi forced a small smile, gave a small bow, and then left the room, went down the spiral staircase, and exited the tower. She walked down the stairs from the front door and made her way to the edge of the tiny world. She looked up towards the sky scanning all the stars.

"There are so many worlds up there. Which one are you at Sora? Do you remember? You still have my lucky charm and you promised you would give it back to me. I know you won't break your promise Sora."

**? **

"Sor…!"

"…ra!"

"Wake…"

"…and shine!"

Sora could hear voices that sound far away but were getting closer, or was his hearing just coming back? Very slowly he opened his eyes to see Donald and Goofy standing over him with smiles.

"Oh boy you're awake!" said Goofy happily.

"How to you feel?" asked Donald?

"Like I just crashed," Sora answered.

Sora felt something rough on his back so he turned his head to see what was causing the feeling. He was sitting against a large tree that stretched all the way up to the Sea of the Skies. In fact, as Sora looked around, there were trees everywhere each with thick trunks and covered in moss. As his hearing came back he could hear sounds in the distance that sounded like animals.

"Where are we?" Sora finally asked?

"I think we're in some kind of jungle," answered Goofy.

"So where is the Gummi Ship?" Sora asked next.

"Over there. It's in bad shape," answered Donald.

Using the tree he was sitting against as support, Sora slowly got up on his feet. He ached all over yet he still pushed himself to walk in the direction Donald was referring to. Goofy came up and allowed Sora to lean on his shoulder as they followed Donald.

Sora quickly found himself constantly looking down at his feet, ahead of himself, then down at his feet again so not to trip over any tree roots sticking out of the ground or to slam his face into a low hanging branch. Goofy had his shield out to bush away some of the branches. Once or twice Donald got his feet tangled in vines on the ground.

Finally they reached the crash site. Fortunately the ship was still mostly intact. The right wing was still heavily damaged from the attack of the giant horse and its mysterious rider. The front of the ship was also heavily damaged from hitting the ground so hard. The glass dome was cracked as well.

"Oh man…" said Sora.

"We tried contacting King Mickey and figuring out which world we are in but nothing," said Donald sadly.

"Garwsh, if we can't fix the Gummi Ship, we'll be stuck in this world for a long time," said Goofy.

"Do either of you have any idea what world this is?" asked Sora?

Both Donald and Goofy shook their heads.

"Well, let's see if we can find someone to tell us where we are," Sora said.

Sora was finally getting his strength back as he didn't need to lean on Goofy anymore. He walked around in a circle by himself just to make sure he could. He gave a thumb up to Donald and Goofy.

"Hold on Sora, we should hide the Gummi Ship since we don't know where we are. We don't want someone to find it accidentally," said Donald.

Sora nodded in agreement. Donald used his magic to bring some branches down that had huge leaves growing out of them. Together the three of them covered the Gummi Ship in as much green as possible so no one would notice it. Once they were satisfied with the job, the trio began to trek through the jungle.

They still had no idea where they were or this world even had any people. Occasionally they would hear some sort of sound that most likely came from an animal. Were these animals friendly or not? The three tried to look for any signs of movement but all they could see were trees in every direction. Sometimes the trees were so thick it blocked the sunlight from above. It was during these times Sora looked around more carefully half expecting to see Heartless or Master Xehanort's mysterious apprentice.

They finally came to a small clearing. On the ground were several different types of animal tracks suggesting this was an intersection of sorts. It was eerily quiet. For a second Sora thought he heard a branch break somewhere behind him. Before he could investigate this, the Heartless appeared all around them. These Heartless were shaped like small monkeys, pounding their fists into the ground.

On instinct, Sora, Donald, and Goofy drew the weapons to prepare to fight. The Heartless wasted no time in attacking them. Sora still wasn't quite at his full fighting strength so Donald stayed close to him.

"Force!" Donald yelled!

Donald used the Gravity spell, which caused the Heartless to be lifted off the ground and dance helplessly in the air. This made them easy targets for Goofy to throw his shield at them. One Heartless tried to attack Sora from behind but he swung around too quickly with his Keyblade in hand taking it out in one hit.

Donald was beginning to get overwhelmed by the Heartless. Sora did his best to fight them off from getting to close but he was still feeling weak. Goofy moved in but his large feet caught a rock buried in the ground causing him to go flying into Sora and Donald. All three of them tumbled down onto the ground. The few Heartless remaining began swarming them. Sora held up his Keyblade like a shield in a final desperate attempt to drive them off.

A yell echoed the entire jungle. No, it was more of a battle cry. The trio and the Heartless were completely stunned for a moment reacting to the sound. Then from above, landing in the middle of the clearing came a muscular man with long brown hair wearing nothing but a loin cloth and carrying a spear. The Heartless turned their attention to the man.

The man moved swiftly among the trees throwing his spear at the Heartless, never once missing. For the final Heartless, he showed himself again and sparred with it. The Heartless was quickly defeated. The man stood there for a moment in silence, and then once again yelled out a battle cry for the entire jungle to hear. Still on the ground, Sora realized he had heard this battle cry one before.

The man turned around to face the trio on the ground. He did not look pleased. He slowly began walking towards them as he spoke, holding his spear in their direction.

"I've warned you hunters to stay out of the jungle! You are lucky I was nearby to fight off those creatures of no heart. If you leave now, I will…"

He stopped talking as he was now a few inches away from Sora, Donald, and Goofy. He looked at them closely before speaking again.

"Sora? Donald? Goofy?" he asked?

"Tarzan! It is you!" said Sora happily.

Donald and Goofy gave a huge sigh of relief.

**Deep Jungle **

Tarzan effortlessly helped Sora, Donald, and Goofy back up on their feet with just one hand. Once on his feet, Sora got a better look at the friend they had not seen in a long time.

In many ways, Tarzan still looked exactly the same as he did over a year ago when they last saw him. But he was standing up straight instead of walking on both is feet and hands like a gorilla. His English had improved greatly. Last time they saw him, he only knew a few simple words taught to him by his friend Jane. His natural language was that of the gorillas who raised him since he was a baby.

When Tarzan was a baby, his parents and he arrived in this jungle after the ship they were traveling on was lost at sea. They built a magnificent tree house in the tallest tree in the jungle and called it home. However tragedy would strike again when a leopard, named Sabor, brutally murdered Tarzan's parents. He might have been next had it not been for a female gorilla, Kala, who came to his rescue and took him in as her own son.

The last time Sora, Donald, and Goofy saw Tarzan was over a year ago during their very first adventure. He had recently come into contact with a group of people studying the gorillas. Tarzan became friends with one of the explorers, Jane, who taught him some simple English. The Heartless in the world corrupted a hunter named Clayton in an attempt to drown the world into darkness. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan quickly put an end to the threat.

"You have grown since I last saw you," said Tarzan.

"Looks like you have to. You're English is really good now," said Sora.

"Thank you. Jane has been teaching me. After you three helped us and left, she decided to stay here in the jungle with me," explained Tarzan.

"Garwsh, that was real nice of her," said Goofy.

"Tarzan, how long have the Heartless been back? I thought we took care of them the last time we were here," questioned Sora.

"The Heartless just showed up not very long ago. They are just one of the many problems this jungle has seen recently," explained Tarzan.

"What kind of other problems?" asked Donald?

"Maybe it would be best if we talked back at the tree house," said Tarzan. He was looking around and sniffing the air almost anticipating some kind of danger.

"Sure! Um, would you lead the way? We're kinda lost," said Sora embarrassingly.

"No problem friends. Just try to keep up," laughed Tarzan.

Without warning, Tarzan jumped up into the nearby tree and began running along the branches. Sora, Donald, and Goofy quickly turned around and began running after him. Tarzan moved faster in the trees and vines then he did on the ground which made it extremely difficult to follow him. Once or twice they almost fell behind trying to squeeze through trees that had grown so close together they were practically touching one and another.

Finally they came to a tree so large it could have easily been its own world. Sora remembered how this tree was so big it could be seen from the Sea of the Skies. A wooden bridge leads them to the trunk of the tree where stairs had been carved into it. Sora, Donald, and Goofy, glad to not be running anymore, slowly climbed the stairs that went around the entire trunk of the tree. Higher and higher they climbed until they reached a wooden balcony.

The tree house was an impressively built two story home. The last time Sora was here, it lay in ruins but now it would seem Tarzan and Jane have remolded the place to be their home. The once covered in darkness tree house was no filled with light.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered the home. Waiting on a nearby was Tarzan, who was smiling while talking to a young woman. Sora knew right away it must be Jane. She turned around, very happy to see them.

"Sora! Wonderful to see you again! You too, Donald and Goofy," she said.

"Thanks. Looks like you've made a nice home here," complimented Sora.

"Thank you, yes it is quite lovely here," said Jane.

Jane looked the same as Sora remembered her. She had long brown hair and wore a simple yellow shirt and green skirt for the jungle. She seems to have adapted quite well to living in the jungle.

"Tarzan says you are here to help with the Heartless," said Jane.

That wasn't entirely true, given how Sora and the others just happened to crash land here. But Tarzan, Jane, and everyone else in this world know nothing about the existence of other worlds and it needs to be kept that way. Still, the Gummi Ship wasn't going to be taking them anywhere anytime soon and they just couldn't leave the Heartless unattended too.

"Yeah, of course! So what's been going here?" asked Sora.

"Not only have the Heartless been causing trouble here, but the animals tell me there is a mysterious creature unlike any other lurking in the jungle," explained Tarzan.

"Is it a Heartless?" asked Donald?

"No, it does not move in the darkness like a Heartless. I have tried several times to track it, but it always manages to get away. Whatever it is, the few animals that have seen it believe it not to be of this world," answered Tarzan.

Tarzan's choice of words was interesting. Though he does not know the existence of outside worlds, he can still recognize when something or someone does not belong here. Sora wondered if this creature was Master Xehanort's mysterious apprentice or something related to it. Either way, it was worth investigating.

"Did this creature show up the same time the Heartless reappeared?" asked Sora?

"Yes, that is what is so strange," said Tarzan.

"We were actually just talking the other day we were going to try and contact the three of you since you have experience fighting them. But we had no idea where you had gone after you left last time. I was ready to send word amongst the various travelers in the hopes you would get it," explained Jane.

"Well, we're here now ready to help!" said Sora proudly.

"So uh, where is this weird creature thing?" asked Goofy?

"Let's talk to the other gorillas. They were the last ones to have seen it. I will take you to them," Tarzan stated.

"I'll come too. I don't like the idea of staying here alone with the Heartless lurking around," said Jane.

"That's a good idea," said Tarzan.

"Think you could go a little slower this time so we can keep up?" asked Sora?

"Ha, ha, ha, of course," laughed Tarzan.

Tarzan jumped from the chair he was sitting in to the front door then leaped onto a nearby vine and swung away.

"That's…not slower," said Sora.

"Tarzan doesn't know how to slow down. Come on, I'll lead you to the gorilla's nesting grounds," laughed Jane.

Jane led them outside but instead of going down the stairs, she herself grabbed onto a vine then walked to the edge of the balcony. Sora, Donald, and Goofy clearly all had very scared looks on their faces since Jane took one look at them and giggled.

"Oh, it's easy! The vines are very strong. Just grab one and hold on," she explained.

She took one step off the ledge and swung over to a nearby tree branch.

"Come on then!" she shouted from the tree.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all looked at each other very nervously. But Sora quickly put a smile on his face, ran to the ledge, jumped off it, and grabbed the vine. He swung a couple of times before flinging himself off of it and landing on the same tree branch as Jane.

"Come on guys!" shouted Sora!

Donald grumbled something, ran to the ledge, jumped off, and grabbed the vine. He swung from it for several minutes before finally getting the courage to let go and land face first on the branch. Sora began laughing.

"Very funny!" said Donald sarcastically.

Now all by himself, Goofy closed his eyes and ran to the edge but tripped over himself. He went flying into the air.

"Yaaaaaaa-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!" Goofy yelled!

He somehow got tangled in the vine and began swaying around in the air. Donald was laughing while Sora and Jane reached out, grabbed the vine when it swung in their direction, and untangled Goofy from it.

"Thanks fellers," laughed Goofy.

The rest of their trip swinging through the jungle was much easier. Sora kept close to Goofy to make sure he didn't get stuck again in the vines. Despite catching on fast, Jane still always seemed to keep ahead of them. As they swung from tree to tree, they frequently encountered all sorts of animals, some of which actually seemed to wave to Jane when they saw her.

Soon they were very deep in the jungle where there was barely any light breaking through the thick canopy above. Jane led them to a tree they could easily slide down to the ground. They were now standing in a large opening covered in lush green brush. All around them were gorillas. Many of them towered over Sora when they stood upright. Some of the gorillas noticed that four humans had just appeared but they paid no attention once they saw Jane.

Tarzan was in the center surrounded by five or six gorillas and they seemed to be talking. At least Sora assumed that is why they were all grunting at each other. Jane led the trio over to where Tarzan was in the center.

"Wah!" shouted Donald!

Sora, Jane, and Goofy turned around to see Donald on the ground, being sat on a by a small gorilla that looked familiar to Sora.

"Hey, isn't that Terk?" asked Sora?

"Yes it is, and I see she hasn't forgotten about Donald," laughed Jane.

Terk is a young female gorilla that grew up with Tarzan. She became very attached to Donald during their last visit. Donald however was already spoken for.

"Get off me!" shouted Donald!

Terk ignored him and instead picked Donald up to hug him. Donald began shouting unrecognizable gibberish but this only made Terk hug him harder.

"We'll leave you two alone," said Sora with a smile.

"Wha?! You can't just leave me here!" shouted Donald!

"Ah-yuk, but you two look so happy," said Goofy.

"Don't worry, Terk means no harm I promise," giggled Jane.

While Terk and Donald got reacquainted, Sora, Goofy, and Jane made their way over to Tarzan. He saw them and motioned them over to him. He finished up a conversation with the gorillas then walked over to them. Sora noticed he was currently walking on all fours this time.

"The gorillas tell me there is a small cave near the waterfall where they have seen the creature and many Heartless. It seems like a good place to start our search," reported Tarzan.

"Has the creature hurt any of the gorillas?" asked Jane.

"No thankfully. The creature merely scares them off," answered Tarzan.

"But if it's hanging out with the Heartless, it still can't be up to any good," said Sora.

"Garwsh, we better hurry over to the waterfall and investigate," said Goofy.

"I know the quickest way there, just follow me," said Tarzan.

"Hey Donald! Come on, we're going!" shouted Sora!

Donald came running over but Terk was following close behind. Tarzan walked up to Terk and they began communicating in gorilla talk. Donald hid himself behind Goofy.

"Terk will come with us. She knows exactly where the cave is," said Tarzan.

Terk seemed to understand this as she happily trotted over to Donald's side. Donald was less than thrilled by this. Sora and Goofy did their best to keep from laughing at the situation.

Tarzan led Sora, Donald, Terk, Goofy and Jane out of the gorillas' nesting grounds and back into the main part of the jungle. They stayed on the ground this time as they trek further into the jungle. Terk had a very tight grip on Donald's arm as they walked. Goofy was giggling at the sight of this. Sora and Jane walked together behind Tarzan who would occasionally stop and sniff around. He was still walking on all fours.

"So Sora, did you ever find your friends that you were looking for?" asked Jane?

"Yeah we did. They were all right and we finally got to go back to our home. But now…this new journey came up so we had to be separated again," said Sora.

"I'm glad to hear they are ok. And you and your friends aren't really separated. No matter how far away you are from them, you are all still in each other's hearts and that will never change. Friends never leave each other's hearts," said Jane.

Sora felt a twinge in his heart. It was Kairi and she was saying that she is right here no matter what. She is saying that Jane is right and they will see each other again very soon. He felt much happier and continued on the path of following Tarzan through the deep jungle.

The trees began to lessen, the ground below them became much rockier, and the light from the sun returned to their eyes. In the not so far distance Sora saw the same waterfall that somewhere behind it was a cave that held the keyhole to this world which he locked the last time he was here. Every world has a keyhole in it that leads to a world's heart and by locking that keyhole; the Heartless cannot get to the heart and sink the world into darkness.

Terk (still holding Donald very tightly) walked up to the front of the group where Tarzan was and they began talking. Turk was pointing to a cliff furthest away from the waterfall that Sora does not remember seeing or exploring the last time he was here. Could this be where the mysterious creature is? Could this mysterious creature actually be Xehanort's apprentice?

"Terk says that cliff over there; furthest from the waterfall has a cave where the creature lives. We should start making our way there," explained Tarzan.

Everyone nodded their head in agreement. They only walked forward a few steps when the Heartless appeared and surrounded them. A greater number was present here then when Sora, Donald, and Goofy first arrived here. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan drew their weapons.

"Jane, you and Turk stand back. We'll handle this," instructed Tarzan.

Jane moved back towards the edge of the jungle but Terk was not leaving Donald's side.

"You go protect Jane! We'll handle these guys!" said Donald.

Terk agreed and ran back to Jane's side.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan charged the Heartless head on. With no trees around, Donald used Thunder magic to paralyze the Heartless while Tarzan took them out with his spear. Goofy spun around with his shield out sending the Heartless flying. Sora took on a small group of them with little effort. He was finally feeling back to full strength so the Heartless presented no challenge.

The four of them took out all the Heartless then lowered their weapons. It was too soon to relax as another round of Heartless appeared around them. They readied their weapons once again and took them on. These Heartless were bigger in size then the ones they had just defeated and much stronger. Sora and Tarzan took on one group of Heartless while Donald and Goofy worked together to take on the other group. This battle took much longer but eventually they defeated all the Heartless. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan were all exhausted from the fighting.

When a third round of Heartless appeared, they didn't think they had enough strength left to fight. Donald did his best to use his Cure spell on everyone but it seemed to have little effect. The Heartless were moving in, surrounding the four of them in a small circle.

Somewhere, not far away, a roar echoed around them. It was unlike anything Sora had ever heard before in all his travels. Terk was grunting trying to communicating but only Tarzan could understand it. He looked up towards the nearby cliff.

"Up there!" he yelled!

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked up and gasped and what they saw. Standing on the cliff closest to them was some sort of animal covered in red fur. A small fire seemed to be crackling on the end of its tail. He appears to have thin brown mane on his back. The creature jumps down to the ground on the opposite end of the Heartless and starts growling at them. Closer up, Sora can see a large scar over his right eye. He is briefly reminded of a lion he once fought against in another world.

The Heartless turned all their attention to the creature and began moving closer towards him. But the creature did not flinch once. It moved in a strife pattern as the Heartless neared it. Once they got close to the creature, it jumped in the air and pounced down on the Heartless destroying several of them. The remaining Heartless it attacked head on, biting and ripping them apart with its teeth. Its tail was whipping frantically in the air defeating the Heartless behind it. The creature let out another roar wiping out the rest of the Heartless.

"What sort of creature is it?" asked Tarzan.

Now that it had stopped attacking, Sora noticed one other distinguishing feature about it. Above its front leg was the Roman numeral for thirteen which appeared to be branded into the animal's skin. The creature had several other symbols branded onto its body.

"Could it be…" Sora asked himself.

The creature now turned towards the four of them on the ground, staring at them menacingly, its eyes surveying all of them. Then the creature saw the Keyblade in Sora's hand. It began to growl just as it had before.

"Xeh…a…nort."

Everyone gasped when the animal spoke. Tarzan was especially surprised when he saw everyone else understood what it said. He was used to being the only one who understood what the animals were saying.

"It…it can speak human language," said Tarzan.

The creature slowly moved towards them still growling. Sora stood up causing the creature to stop where it was and get into a position of pouching. Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan stayed on the ground watching the situation nervously.

"You know Xehanort?" Sora asked calmly.

"The keyblade…the same weapon Xehanort wields," said the creature.

It was speaking full sentences now. Tarzan and the other animals were right; this creature is not of this world, especially if he knows about Xehanort and the Keyblade. Sora was careful not to make any sudden movements something everyone else did as well. Tension was rising very quickly in the air.

"Do you know where Xehanort is? What about his apprentice?" asked Sora?

"I do not know where he is but as for his apprentice…I am looking right at him," spoke the creature.

Without any further warning, the creature pounced. Sora readied himself by holding the Keyblade in a defensive position above his head. The creature jumped over Sora's head and landed between him and where Jane and Terk were watching in horror. Tarzan got up on his head quickly followed by Donald and Goofy.

"Get away from them!" shouted Tarzan!

The creature was paying no attention to Jane and Terk. All of its attention was focused solely on Sora and his keyblade.

"Step away man-ape. I know you protect this jungle from all threats so it is in your best interest to get away from him," said the creature.

"Hey I'm not the threat! And I'm not Xehanort's apprentice!" Sora shouted to the creature.

"Lies; you carry the same weapon Xehanort did. I have not forgotten what he has done to me. I will not allow you to continue what he started," snarled the creature.

The creature lunged at Sora but Tarzan stood in front of Sora, aiming his spear at the creature. But this time the creature swiped his claws at the spear, causing it to fall out of Tarzan's hands. The creature landed on Tarzan who fell to the ground.

"TARZAN!" yelled Jane!

Tarzan and the creature began wrestling on the ground. Donald began to aim his wand at where they were fighting but Sora stopped him.

"It's too risky Donald. You might hit Tarzan by accident!" said Sora.

"But we got to do something!" said Donald.

Tarzan was struggling underneath the creature but was able to flip the creature and pin it. The creature was snapping its jaws and snarling the entire time. Tarzan flung himself backyards and landed a few feet away from the creature that was back on his feet. Now the two opponents were stalking each other in a circle. Sora, Donald, and Goofy moved back towards Jane and Turk. Donald didn't even object when Terk clinched his arm.

"Who are you? Why have you been summoning the Heartless here?" asked Tarzan? He picked up his spear and held it close.

"I am known as experiment Red XIII. I am failed experiment left here to die many years ago by a man named Xehanort. I did not bring those creatures you called the Heartless here. I am trying to protect your jungle and its inhabitants from them and their master. I have meant you no harm but continue to ally yourself with this apprentice of Xehanort's and I will show you no mercy."

Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing right now. This creature, Red XIII, had been experimented on by Xehanort then left here on this world to die when he was deemed a failure. Red XIII must associate anyone who holds a Keyblade as an enemy. He has been protecting the jungle from the Heartless and a master he mentioned. Who is this master?

"If you have been protecting my friends and family of the jungle from the Heartless, then you are no enemy to me. And I promise you Sora means you no harm either. He is a true warrior who uses his keyblade to protect others from the Heartless just like you have been," explained Tarzan.

"Red XIII! I'm not Xehanort's apprentice! He's my enemy too! I'm trying to defeat him!" shouted Sora!

"Lies!" growled Red XIII!

Red XIII charged Tarzan who did the same. Red XIII went for Tarzan's spear again but this time Tarzan was prepared, jumping over him. Tarzan landed behind him and began charging. Quickly Red XIII turned around and bit the spear. Tarzan struggled to get the spear out of his mouth while Red XIII swiped his claws at him. These attacks missed by inches.

With all his strength, Tarzan lifted the spear up into the air that Red XIII was still biting down on. Before Red XIII could remove his teeth from the spear, Tarzan slammed him hard on the ground. A weak growl admitted from Red XIII who was lying on the ground in pain. Tarzan lowered his spear and motioned everyone else closer.

"Is he ok?" asked Jane?

Donald walked past everyone else, waved his wand, and cast Cure on Red XIII to heal his wounds. Surprised by this, Red XIII slowly stood up on his feet. He surveyed the group once again. Tarzan gripped his spear tightly.

"We aren't with Xehanort in any way. He's caused us trouble too," Sora said once again.

Red XIII stared at Sora then looked at his Keyblade. He wasn't growling anymore. Then he turned his head towards the waterfall staring at it for a moment. Finally he returned his attention to the group and spoke.

"If what you say is true Keyblade wielder then you will prove it by helping me rid this jungle of the Heartless and their master."

"Garwsh, that's what we wanted to do in the first place," said Goofy.

"Before you attacked us," added Donald.

"So Red XIII, who is the Heartless' master?" asked Jane?

"A very powerful Heartless, unlike anything I have ever encountered. It dwells in the highest cave behind the waterfall. Anything that enters that cave never comes out. I barely escaped when I first tried to fight it. Since then, I have been keeping all animals and people away from this area for their own protection," explained Red XIII.

"When did this powerful Heartless first appear?" asked Tarzan?

"Less than a year ago," answered Red XIII.

Sora had a feeling it was sometime after he locked this world's keyhole during his first adventure. Which meant this powerful Heartless was trying to get at the world's heart, not realizing it had been locked away already.

"You said you tried to fight this Heartless before?" asked Jane?

"Yes but I failed. I cannot hope to defeat it on my own," explained Red XIII.

"Why did you not ask me for help? You said you knew I project this jungle from all threats," asked Tarzan?

"Exactly the reason I could not ask for your help. I could not risk you losing your heart to it and leaving this jungle with no protector," explained Red XIII.

"Neither of you have to do this alone. Donald, Goofy, and I can help. We have a lot of experience fighting Heartless," said Sora.

"Thank you Sora," said Tarzan.

"Help us defeat this Heartless Keyblade wielder, and I shall believe that you are not Xehanort's apprentice," said Red XIII.

"You can count on us!" said Sora happily.

Together the group moved on towards the cliffs behind the waterfall. Water sprayed all of them which felt very refreshing after all the fighting. The thick vines growing on the side of the cliffs proved helpful in climbing the cliffs. Tarzan helped Sora up while Jane assisted Goofy. Terk effortlessly pulled Donald up the cliffs. Red XIII easily jumped up the cliffs.

They finally reached the top. A powerful darkness was emitting from the cave. Red XIII was right; an extremely powerful Heartless was waiting inside the cave.

"Be prepared Keyblade wielder. Tarzan, it is not too late for you to turn back. If anything happens to you…" began Red XIII.

"Then I fall with honor and at peace knowing I leave my home in good hands," said Tarzan.

Red XIII said nothing, seemingly stunned by what Tarzan said.

"I'm right behind you. I won't let you lose your heart so easily," said Jane.

Tarzan nodded.

"All right guys, let's go," said Sora.

Together, all of them slowly entered the cave. When Sora was last here, the waterfall could be heard roaring outside and light poured in from a crack in the ceiling. This time the cave was shrouded in darkness and the unmistakable clicking sound of Heartless echoed throughout the cave. Sora held his Keyblade tight ready to fight at a second's notice.

Then up ahead, where the keyhole once was, they could all see it. A large Heartless with its back turned towards the group, knelling at the wall. Spikes stuck out of Heartless' spine. A long tail stuck out from behind.

"That's it, the master of the Heartless here," said Red XIII.

"It sort of looks familiar," commented Tarzan.

Upon closer inspection Sora agreed with Tarzan. Something about this Heartless was familiar but he couldn't quite figure out why. Had Sora faced this Heartless once before?

The Heartless seemed to finally sense the presence of the group and slowly turned around. The Heartless resembled a Chameleon colored yellow. On the Heartless' face is a tiny mustache and around its neck is a noose made out of a thick green vine. The Heartless' left arm then morphs into something resembling a two barrel shot gun.

"No way…" gasped Sora.

"Is that…" asked Jane shocked?

"Clayton!" shouted Tarzan!

The Heartless emitted a very strange sound and aimed its gun arm straight at Tarzan. Red XIII reacted the quickest, pouncing the Heartless then chomping down hard on its gun arm. The Heartless violently shakes its arm trying to free itself of Red XIII.

"Garwsh Sora! I think that's Clayton's Heartless!" shouted Goofy!

"That explains a lot!" agreed Sora.

Clayton was a hunter who traveled with Jane when she first came to the jungle over a year ago. He lied about wanting to study the gorillas when in reality he wanted to hunt and sell them. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan exposed this truth to Jane who forbad him going near the gorillas. Clayton's anger caused his heart to fall to darkness and gave him the power to command the Heartless. Sora and the others defeated him and he met his end when a giant, Chameleon-like Heartless fell on him.

It would seem Clayton became a Heartless and has been mindlessly trying to get at the world's heart. Like the Heartless in the other worlds they have been to recently, Clayton's Heartless most likely became more active when Xehanort's Apprentice returned.

Distracted with Red XIII biting down on his gun arm, Tarzan took the opportunity to attack the Heartless' other arm with his spear. Sora and Goofy attacked the Heartless legs while Donald launched powerful spells towards its head. All the hits seem to hurt the Heartless greatly.

Finally the Heartless spins around in place sending all fighters flying either onto the ground or into the wall. It lets out a strange sound then disappears in front of everyone's eyes.

"Ah, I hate this trick!" shouted Donald!

The last time they fought this same kind of Heartless, it had the ability to camouflage itself essentially making itself invisible. Just like the fight before, they had no idea where the Heartless was so they all moved cautiously around the cave. Tarzan stayed closed to Jane and Terk incase the Heartless decided to go after them. Red XIII sniffed around trying to locate the Heartless.

Something attacked Sora from behind and he fell to the ground. Goofy ran to his aid to protect while he got back on his feet. Tarzan threw his spear to the space behind Sora. His spear seemed to stick to something in midair and they heard a cry. The Heartless reappeared in obvious pain.

Goofy kneeled down and held his shield above his head. Sora backed up, ran towards Goofy, jumped high into the air and landed on Goofy shield. Goofy launched Sora up in the air then Donald cast an Aero spell to rocket Sora towards the Heartless' head. Still in pain, the Heartless is unable to defend itself as Sora strikes its head with one clean hit. He lands on the ground as the Heartless cries out in pain.

Red XIII pounces on the Heartless again using its claws to attack its back. The Heartless raises its normal arm and swats Red XIII off its back. Donald and Goofy attempt to charge the Heartless but it turns around and uses its tail to trip both of them onto the ground.

Now the Heartless turns its attention to Red XIII who is lying on the ground wounded. The Heartless aims its gun arm at Red XIII and prepares to fire. Sora slides underneath the Heartless, runs in front of Red XIII, and uses the Keyblade to reflect the gunshot fired back at the Heartless. The shot severely unbalances the Heartless. Tarzan climbs up the Heartless' back and grabs hold of the vine noose around the Heartless' neck. With one powerful yank, the Heartless falls backyards. Tarzan jumps off the Heartless hits the ground and begins to fade away into the darkness.

Tarzan gives out his battle cry as a sign of victory. Jane runs over to hug Tarzan and Terk does the same to Donald. Goofy picks up Tarzan's spear on the ground and returns it. Meanwhile Sora pulls out a spare potion from his pocket and uses it to heel Red XIII's wounds.

The darkness begins to disintegrate as light is finally able to flood in from the crack in the ceiling. The sound of the waterfall also returns to the cave.

"You saved me. I was wrong about you Keyblade wielder," said Red XIII.

"Hey no worries. Oh and you can call me Sora. That's Donald and Goofy over there."

"Thank You Sora." Red XIII lowers his voice now. "I know you and your friends are from another world just like I am. I am also aware of the rules that the worlds must not know of each other's existence. You need not worry, I honor that rule."

Sora nods his head in agreement. Everyone else walks up to where Sora and Red XIII are.

"Is he all right?" asked Tarzan?

"He just needs some rest that's all," answered Sora.

"Let's get him back to the tree house. I think we could all use some rest," said Jane.

The entire group returned to the tree house. Red XIII was lying on the floor looking very relaxed. Tarzan, Jane, Sora, and Goofy also sat relaxing after the many battles. Donald meanwhile could not escape from Terk who seemed determined to never let him go.

"The Heartless all seem to be gone from the jungle," said Tarzan.

"Everything is back to normal," said Jane.

"Another mystery solved," said Sora happily.

"I truly misjudged you Sora. It would seem not all keyblade wielders are evil like Xehanort," said Red XIII.

"So what did Xehanort do to you?" asked Sora?

"He stole me from my home, experimented on me, or more specifically my heart. I believe he was trying to see if it was possible to transfer my heart to that of a human's. It didn't work so he left here in this jungle. I still remember all the experiments, used with his Keyblade. Even though so many years have passed by…" said Red XIII.

"Garwsh Red XIII is there anything we can do to help?" asked Goofy.

"You said Xehanort was your enemy. Tell me, what has become of him?" asked Red XIII.

"It's kinda of a long story. We thought we had defeated him but now he's back trying to take over all the…I mean take over everything," said Sora. He almost mentioned other worlds in front of Tarzan and Jane.

"I feared as much. If you want to help me, then you will stop Xehanort," said Red XIII.

"You can count on us," said Sora.

Red XIII now turned his attention to Tarzan. "Once I am healed, I will leave. I am truly sorry for all the trouble I caused."

"You have caused no trouble. I want to thank you for protecting everyone in the jungle from Clayton's Heartless. You are a true warrior Red XIII. I do not want you to leave. I would be honored if you stayed in the jungle and helped me protect it from anyone who would threaten those who live here," said Tarzan.

"I…I don't know what to say," said Red XIII.

"Please stay. It would mean a lot to us," said Jane.

Red XIII remained silent thinking for a moment. "I would be honored to stay. Thank you Tarzan. Thank you Jane."

"Hey, you said were called experiment Red XIII. So do you have a real name?" asked Donald?

"Actually yes, I was once called Nanaki. But that was a life time ago. You may simply call me Red."

"Very well Red," said Tarzan.

"Ahhh, what a really touching moment!"

A voice came from nowhere. Everyone jumped to their feet and began looking around for the source.

"Whose there?" yelled Tarzan!

"Show yourself!" shouted Sora!

A corridor of darkness appeared in the farthest corner of the tree house. Walking out of it was a small figure with long ears wearing a black coat. The corridor of darkness disappeared behind him. Sora, Donald, and Goofy recognized the mysterious individual right away, causing the three of them to summon their weapons.

"You!" shouted Sora!

"Whoa, hold on a second! I just want to talk! I've been looking all over this place for you guys and the last thing I want to do is fight!" said the figure.

"So start talking!" growled Donad!

"Look, I think we all got off on the wrong foot. You guys have been chasing me all over and I've been sending Heartless after you. Hasn't given us a chance to talk," said the figure.

"Sora, what's going on?" asked Tarzan.

"This feller is Xehanort's apprentice and we've been trying to catch him," explained Goofy.

"What?!" gasped Red XIII.

"You want to talk? I bet it was you who crashed us here in the first place!" shouted Sora.

"I might have had something to do with it. I needed you guys staying out of my way for a bit while I worked on a little surprise for all of you," explained the figure.

"What kind of surprise?" asked Goofy?

"It's a surprise! I'm not going to tell you what it is! Man, you guys are slow!" said the figure angrily.

"Enough! Now you deal with us!" yelled Donald!

"You don't want to talk? Fine, then I'll talk. I've got a nice little surprise for the three of you waiting at the coliseum. If you want to find out what it is, you better hurry there," said the figure.

"Coliseum?" questioned Jane.

But Sora knew exactly what world he was talking about, the world where heroes gather to find out who is a true hero.

"What are you planning? Did you find Xehanort?" asked Sora.

"Wow, you guys really don't understand the concept of a surprise do you?" laughed the figure.

Sora was losing his patience and so were Donald and Goofy. Xehanort's Apprentice was laughing at them while planning who knows what. Before either of them could do anything, Red XIII appeared.

"You are the apprentice of Xehanort? I will not let you aid him in any way!" Red XIII shouted.

"Well I see it's time for me to go. See you guys soon!" said the figure.

Red XIII charges towards Xehanort's Apprentice but darkness engulfs him and he disappears. Red XIII roars in frustration.

"Sora, is everything okay?" asked Jane?

Sora stands in silence for a moment as Donald and Goofy stand by his side. Red XIII walks up to Sora and looks up at him.

"Yeah everything's fine. But we really need to get going now," answered Sora.

"But I thought your ship was damaged," said Tarzan.

With everything that had been going on, Sora had completely forgotten about that. They had no way to leave this world without the Gummi Ship and it was still heavily damaged. How were they going to get to Olympus Coliseum and stop Xehanort's Apprentice?

"I might be able to help. Go to your ship and I'll meet you three there," said Red XIII.

Sora wasn't at all sure how Red XIII could help repair the Gummi Ship but he decided to trust him. He turned to Donald and Goofy who nodded in agreement.

"Okay Red, we'll meet you there."

Red nodded then ran out the front door down the stairs. Sora, Donald and Goofy turned to Tarzan and Jane.

"Well, I guess this is good bye," said Sora.

"It was good to see you again Sora. You are welcome here anytime," said Tarzan.

"You too, Donald and Goofy. Please visit again very soon," said Jane.

"We will, count on it," said Sora giving a thumbs up.

Terk had run up and hugged Donald hard.

"She is going to miss you very much," said Tarzan.

Donald looked annoyed at first then saw the expression on Terk's face. He sighed then hugged Terk back.

"I'll be back to visit," promised Donald.

Terk cheered very happily.

It took some time, but Sora, Donald, and Goofy finally managed to find where the Gummi Ship had landed. They were surprised to find Moogles, small white creatures with red pom-poms on their heads, busily repairing the Gummi Ship good as new. Sora, Donald, and Goofy have encountered Moogles in several worlds running shops. They are extremely peaceful and helpful creatures. Red XIII stood by watching their progress.

"Ah you made it," he replied.

"Where did you find all these Moogles?" asked Sora?

"They live in secret in the jungle, normally only coming out at night. They were more than happy to help out since we took care of the Heartless that were threatening them," explained Red XIII.

"Oh boy!" cried Donald!

"Now we can chase after that feller!" cheered Goofy.

"Speaking of which, that individual, is he Xehanort's Apprentice?" asked Red XIII.

"That's what he says. We've been chasing him around several different worlds. He's looking for Xehanort," explained Sora.

"You must stop him Sora. Don't let Xehanort bring any more harm to anyone," pleaded Red XIII.

"We won't. He said he's going to Olympus Coliseum next so we'll get him there," said Sora.

"You do realize it is most likely a trap?" asked Red XIII.

"Of course it is!" said Donald.

"Bad guys never have good surprises," said Goofy.

The Moogles alerted Red XIII that they had finished repairing the Gummi Ship. All the Moogles took off while one Moogle floated down in front of Sora.

"The ship is good to fly, kupo. But the communication system is still down. You'll need to repair that elsewhere, kupo."

"We'll do that. Thanks for repairing it," said Sora.

"Our pleasure kupo!"

The Moogle flew off to join his friends. Donald and Goofy entered the ship and started it up. The Gummi Ship roared to life perfectly. Sora prepared to enter the ship but Red XIII stopped him.

"Sora, before Xehanort left me on this world, I managed to grab some of his reports. I want you to have them. Maybe they'll provide some answers about his apprentice," explained Red XIII.

Sora picked up the stack of papers near Red XIII's feet.

"Thanks Red. Take care of yourself. We'll be back to visit really soon," promised Sora.

"Be sure that you do," said Red XIII.

With one last look, Sora entered the Gummi Ship and took the seat at the front of the ship. Donald and Goofy gave the all clear for the ship to take off. Slowly the ship rises up into the air passing up all the trees. Finally when the ship breaks though the canopy, it takes off forward sailing smoothly. Sora looks out the window as they leave the world of Deep Jungle behind them and mark a course for their next destination, Olympus Coliseum.

**Sea of the Skies **

The Gummi Ship blasted full speed towards the world known as Olympus Coliseum. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had visited this world twice before. The world was a gathering place of heroes and heroes in training to see who among them was a true hero. One of these true heroes was Hercules, a demigod and good friend of Sora's.

Just as the Moogles told them back in Deep Jungle, the ship's communication systems were still down so they had no way to contact King Mickey and bring up to speed on everything that had happened so far. Luckily Jiminy continued to jot down everything in his journal so they would not forget anything.

Sora decided to take the time to look at the reports belonging to Xehanort that Red XIII had given them. The dates on the reports indicated they were very old, long before Xehanort's first scheme to ignite a Keyblade war over ten years ago. Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy all gathered around Sora to read the reports.

Most of the reports were about Red XIII and the experiments Xehanort had carried out on him. No wonder Red XIII hated Xehanort so much given what he was put through according to the reports. However one part of the report stuck out to the group.

_ My apprentice's progress continues to be slow. Though very skilled with the Keyblade, he still seems hesitant to let out the darkness in his heart and use it. On the rare occasion he does, his control is feeble at best. I still have yet to see him unleash the same power he had when he saw his world in ruin. The darkness in his heart seems to be born from jealously, which itself is a force that needs time to grow before it can become a powerful force. Perhaps that is the key to unlocking his great power. Fueling that jealously in his heart until it is forced out. His jealously stems from his successor so maybe seeing him and all that he has will be enough to bring forth that great power I once witnessed. However he is not ready yet for that. He still needs a better control of the darkness. I fear this process may take some time, something I am continually losing before my eyes. _

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy all sat in silence for a moment absorbing what they had just read. The only sound that could be heard was the rockets on the ship pushing them forward. Finally, Jiminy spoke.

"Just when I think I've heard the worst about Xehanort, I read something like this."

"So his apprentice is jealous of someone…but who?" asked Sora?

"Garwsh, it says in the report something about an excelsior," said Goofy.

"Successor!" Donald corrected.

"Does that mean Xehanort had an apprentice before this one we're chasing?" asked Sora?

"It doesn't say. But whoever this apprentice is jealous of someone. Not only that but they saw their world in ruins. I can only imagine how that must have felt," said Jiminy.

"Great, now we have even more questions than answers," said Sora hanging his head.

"We'll just ask him once we get to the coliseum," said Donald.

"Yep, we know he'll be there," added Goofy.

"Along with some sort of 'surprise' for us. Do you think the surprise is he found Xehanort?" asked Sora.

"Well, it looks like we are about to find out," said Jiminy pointing out the window.

Out the window the four of them saw the unmistakable sight of Olympus Coliseum coming into view. A huge stadium made entirely of stone, sitting atop the clouds. The coliseum hosts tournaments to decide who is a true hero. From all over, heroes gather to fight here each one wanting to prove they are a true hero.

"As soon as we land, let's find Hercules. If there's a tournament going on, he'll know everyone entered in it," said Sora.

"Do you think Xehanort's Apprentice would enter the tournament," asked Donald?

"If he wants to fight us, it would be the perfect place to do so. He's probably also got tons of Heartless entered in the tournament too," answered Sora.

"Garwsh, we better be ready for anything then," said Goofy.

"Aren't we always?" asked Sora with a smile.

The world was now upon them so they began to land the ship. It dissented slowly upon the world, passing through the clouds. With a light thump, the ship landed.

**Olympus Coliseum **

They landed the ship outside of a local town. The trio exited the ship and made their way towards the town. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had never been in this part of the world before but there was no mistake it was Olympus Coliseum. Stone columns and statues of gods decorated the all the streets. People were dressed in togas and sandals as they made their way up and down the busy streets.

Several people were gathered around a sign posted on a nearby stone column. Sora, Donald, and Goofy maneuvered their way through the thick crowd until they reached the front of the group. The sign advertise the next tournament happening at the coliseum today. It would be overseen by the great Hercules.

"Knew it," said Sora!

"Let's go!" agreed Donald!

It wasn't hard to find the stairs leading up to the coliseum. Because they stretched so high up into the sky, the stairs could be seen miles away. Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked all the way through the town until they reached the stairs and began to climb them. They weren't the only ones either as several other people were going up them too, most likely to watch or partake in the tournament.

After a long climb, they reached the gates leading inside the coliseum. They were already open allowing people to enter freely. The plaza outside the coliseum was heavily populated with people standing around and talking. Sora, Donald, and Goofy scanned the crowd for the mysterious figure with long ears wearing a black coat but saw no sign of him anywhere.

"Well I shouldn't be surprised to see you three here," said a familiar voice behind them.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy turn around to see their friend Meg. Dressed in a long, purple dress, wearing sandals, and her very long brown hair in a ponytail, it was good to see a friendly face. She is Hercules' very special lady friend who asked for Sora's help the last time he visited the coliseum.

"Meg!" said Sora happily.

"So am I correct to assume you three heroes are here to compete in the last tournament? Or are you on another hero quest?" asked Meg?

"The second one," laughed Goofy.

"We're looking for someone," Donald answered more precisely.

"Have you seen a really short guy with long ears wearing a black coat, like Organization XIII?" asked Sora?

"There's a lot of interesting people here but I can't say I've seen someone fitting that description. Who is he? Another world conquering villain?" asked Meg?

"Well actually…" began Goofy.

Sora cut Goofy off. "He's this bad guy we've been chasing all over the place and he told us he would be here with a surprise for us. We need to find him before he has chance to reveal his surprise."

"Well it wouldn't be a tournament without someone trying to ruin it for a nefarious plot. I'll go get Wonder Boy and fill him in. Why don't you three hang out here and see if you can find your lost pet," suggested Meg.

"Great, thanks Meg," said Sora.

Meg took off towards the coliseum to find Hercules (Wonder Boy was her pet name for him). Sora, Donald, and Goofy decided to look around and see if anyone seemed out of place. But that was the problem. Everyone seemed a bit out of place because they were all heroes from faraway places and maybe even faraway worlds. Because of the tournaments held in the world, Olympus Coliseum has a reputation of being a gathering place for world travelers looking to test their strength. Miraculously, Hercules and the others who live here still seem unaware of the existence of other worlds.

Sora, Donald and Goofy came to a wall with a large banner hanging off it. Names next to roman numerals were listed neatly on it. The top of the banner read 'West Bracket.' Ten names ranked one through ten were underneath it. None of the names looked familiar to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

On the wall left of the coliseum games was another banner hanging which read 'East Bracket.' However there are only nine names on this banner with the tenth spot at the bottom blank. Did this mean there was still an opening in this part of the tournament?

"Thinking of entering the game?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy turned around to see who was speaking them. A tall, slim woman was standing behind them. She wore brown leather boots that almost went up to her ankles, a white trench coat with a brown outfit underneath it, blue gloves, and a brown belt around her waist. Hanging off the belt behind her is black case that seems to hold a weapon. Most noticeable of all is her wavy, light pink colored hair.

"You look familiar…" pondered Sora out loud.

"You were with Belle back at Prince Adam's castle. We passed ya when you left the library," said Goofy confidently.

"That's it!" said Donald happily.

They were both correct. Sora remembered now, this was indeed the same woman they saw talking to Belle in the library of Prince Adam's Castle. See disappeared after talking with Belle. This woman was asking Belle for information on something but Sora couldn't remember what. She disappeared right before the Heartless showed up in the castle. Lumiere was unable to find her after they stopped the Beast.

"So it was you three I saw back at the castle. Looks like I'm not the only world traveler," said the mysterious woman.

"Who are you?" asked Sora?

"You can call me Lightning."

"I'm Sora. This is Donald and Goofy. So, what are you doing here at the coliseum?"

"Looking for answers. I couldn't find them in the castle's library so I came here. I entered myself in the tournament hoping to find what I'm looking for. So tell me, what were you three doing at the castle and what brings you here now?" asked Lightning.

"We're trying to find this guy that's been causing trouble in other worlds. He's really short with long ears and wears a black coat. Have you seen him during your travels? Last time we saw him he said he would be here," asked Sora?

Lightning shook her head. "Nope, haven't seen anyone like that. Maybe he's entered in the tournament."

She had a good point. Maybe Xehanort's Apprentice was finally ready to face them in a fight and what better place to do it then in a tournament of heroes? And there was an open space in the tournament…

Donald saw the look on Sora's face. "I know what you're thinking! You want to enter the tournament!"

"Well why not? It might be the only to find out what that guy is planning," argued Sora.

"It could be a huge waste of time," said Donald.

"What do you mean?" asked Sora?

"Hey fellers, Lightning's gone," said Goofy.

Sora and Donald stopped arguing and looked around. Lightning was nowhere to be seen. She must have walked off while they were arguing.

"Good going," Sora said to Donald.

"Don't blame me!" shouted Donald!

"Hey what's all the arguing about heroes?"

The three of them turned around once again to see who was talking to them this time. Walking towards them was Meg accompanied by a very muscular guy. He's wearing brown armor and a short metal skirt. On the back of his armor is a short blue cape blowing in the wind.

"Herc!" cried Sora happily!

The true hero himself, Hercules, walked over to shake Sora's hand. Son of the god and goddess, Zeus and Hera, Hercules had his god hood stolen from him as a baby by the evil god of the Underworld Hades. However, due to a mistake by Hades' demons, he still kept his god like strength. He had to prove he was a true hero before getting his god hood back. When he finally did, he chose to remain on Earth with Meg. Hercules has been helping Sora realize his dream of being a true hero just like himself.

All of the contestants waiting in plaza became aware that the great Hercules was now in their presence so they all began to crowd around him wanting advice and autographs. Hercules politely shoved past them to get closer to Sora.

"I tell ya, we can't go anywhere without being mobbed by his fan club," said Meg.

"They mean well Meg. So Sora, I hear you're on another quest. Chasing some bad guy?" asked Hercules?

"Yeah you know, a hero's work is never done," smiled Sora.

"I hear that. So fill me in," said Hercules.

"This guy is going around different places causing trouble with the Heartless. He said to meet him here where he would have a surprise waiting for us. We think he might be in the tournament," explained Sora.

"Well I haven't seen any sign of the Heartless and none of them are entered in the tournament. But there are some strange people entered. We have an open spot in the East Bracket, I can sign you three up," said Hercules.

"Garwsh that would be really swell of ya Herc," said Goofy.

"I still think it's a waste of time," mumbled Donald.

"We'd really appreciate it," said Sora.

"I'll go sign you up now. We'll call your name once the first match is about to begin," explained Hercules.

Hercules began walking back towards the coliseum and so did his fan club.

"I'd better make sure Wonder Boy makes it there in one piece. Good luck in the tournament Sora," said Meg. Then she ran off to catch up with Hercules.

So Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood around waiting. They saw their names appear on the 'East Bracket' banner at the number ten spot. They now looked once again at the 'West Bracket' banner and recognized Lightning's name on it also in the number ten position. Did this mean they would have to fight her eventually?

After several minutes, they heard Hercules' voice echo through the courtyard. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy! Please enter the coliseum for your first match!"

"Sounds like we're up," said Sora excitedly.

The three of them walked through the thick sea of people and entered the vestibule that separated the courtyard and the actual coliseum. Inside waiting for them was another familiar face, Phil. A small satyr, Phil helps train all heroes who come to the coliseum looking to be true heroes. His star student is Hercules. He has also helped train Sora, Donald, and Goofy the last few times they have come to the coliseum.

"Good to see you three back. Hope you're ready for this tournament. The guys and gals signed up are no pushovers. Just remember these two important words; strength of heart," explained Phil.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy laughed then began to prepare themselves for their first match. They made sure all their weapons were in good condition and they had plenty of potions and ethers.

"Rules are simple. You'll face ten matches then one final match against whoever the champion of the other bracket is. No time limits will be imposed on any of the matches. Herc will be acting as the official judge. If he sees any funny business, this person responsible for it will be disqualified. You got all that?" Phil rattled off.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded their heads. With that, Phil let them pass through the doorway that leads into the actual coliseum. The stands are filled with spectators all cheering loudly for the fighting about to happen. Standing in the middle of the ring is Hercules who is getting the crowd pumped up.

Sora, Donald and Goofy take their place at the edge of the ring. Behind Hercules at the opposite edge of the ring appears to be there opponent. Hercules motions the crowd to quiet down.

"All right everyone, it's time for the first match up! Get ready!"

Sora, Doanld, Goofy, and their opponent both enter the ring while Hercules exits it. An invisible wall suddenly appears around the ring as it always does. A bell rings to begin the match. The battle proves to be very easy for the trio and in a few minutes their opponent is down and Hercules declares them the winner. The crowd cheers for the victors.

The second match begins almost instantly. Their next opponent is much bigger and very skilled with a sword but Sora, Donald, and Goofy prevail once again. So far neither of their opponents have seemed suspicious or used any powers of darkness. Where this supposed surprise Xehanort's Apprentice is has waiting for the three of them?

The trio continues their winning streak winning matches three, four and five. After the fifth match, Hercules calls for a short break for the remaining fighters. Low on supplies, Sora and the others decide to use the free time to get more supplies from the Moogle Shop they passed in the coliseum courtyard.

The courtyard is still thick with people all gossiping about who they believe will win. They overhear that a newcomer is dominating over at the other bracket. Whoever it is has a lot of skills from the sounds of it. There is no mention of any strange happenings so Sora does not believe it to be Xehanort's Apprentice.

At the Moogle Shop, Sora places an order for the supplies they need. The Moogle running the shop accepts it and tells them it'll be a short wait while he gets the supplies to them. Sora, Donald and Goofy sit down on the ground to catch their breath while they wait.

"So you three are earning wins left and right huh?"

Lightning appears in front of them then sits down next to them.

"Going all the way! So how are your matches going?" asked Sora?

"Won every one of them so far," Lightning answers. She doesn't seem at all excited about her wins like Sora does.

"Garwsh maybe we'll face you in the final match," said Goofy.

"Maybe…" said Lightning. She doesn't seem interested in the conversation at all.

Her facial expression is very cold. When she speaks, she isn't looking at any of them but staring off into the distance. Sora decides to try and get her to talk more.

"So Lightning, you said earlier you were looking for answers. What kind of answers are you looking for?"

"If destiny can be changed," Lightning answered.

"What do you mean?" asked Donald?

"Just because destiny says it's going to happen, does that mean you have to go along with it?" answered Lightning.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had no answer for her as they thought about the question themselves. Lightning didn't seem to notice this as she began talking again.

"So what about you three? Why are you fighting?"

"We're trying to find the guy we told you about earlier," answered Sora.

"But for what reason?" asked Lightning? She was still not looking at any of them as she talked.

"He's an apprentice to a really bad guy named Xehanort. See Xehanort is trying to take over all the worlds using the power of darkness. We don't know where he is right now but his apprentice showing up must mean he's getting ready to make his move so we got to stop him," explained Sora.

"So this apprentice, what do you know about him?" asked Lightning?

"Well…um," stuttered Donald.

"Garwsh Lightning, we know almost nothing about him," answered Goofy.

"Then why chase after him at all?" questioned Lightning?

"The worlds that he's been to so far, he's caused nothing but trouble. He sent Heartless after us and back at the castle tried to turn Prince Adam against us. If we don't stop him, who knows what he'll do next. We have to keep the worlds and our friends safe from him," said Sora.

Lightning said nothing at all. She just sat there continuing to stare off into the distance. Sora was unable to read her at all. Both her facial expression and body language was very cold. No hint of either light or darkness. Finally she stood up.

"Good luck in the rest of your matches," she said before walking away.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other very confused. What was any of that about? She wouldn't say anything about herself but seemed very interested in their story. What was her story? How could she travel between worlds? Why did she want to change her destiny?

The Moogle returned with their order. Sora paid him and the three walked back towards the coliseum. It was almost time for the next round of fighting. Sure enough Hercules called their names and they entered the coliseum. Phil once again prepped them before they entered the ring.

The matches were much more difficult then there last ones. It took all their strength and teamwork just to get through them. It was lucky they had just filled up from supplies at the Moogle Shop because they needed it. Some of the matches were against teams of people who fought in perfect harmony along aside each other. But they won the next five matches. Still no signs of anything strange.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were declared the winners of their bracket which meant they would face the winner of the other bracket. They were not surprised at all to find out it was Lightning. The three of them sat in the vestibule with Phil and Meg waiting for Hercules to announce the final match.

"I managed to see a couple of her matches. She is one tough chick," said Meg.

"Ah these three have the match hands down," said Phil.

Meanwhile Sora, Donald, and Goofy were having their own conversation.

"Still no sign of Xehanort's Apprentice," said Sora sadly.

"Maybe he tricked us," said Goofy.

"It sure looks that way," agreed Donald.

"Let's just finish this match and go look for him elsewhere," Sora said with a sigh.

"You three are up!" said Phil.

"Good luck out there Sora," said Meg.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy exited the vestibule and entered the edge of the ring. They could see Lightning waiting on the other edge. She showed no emotion has her and Sora's eyes met for a brief moment.

"All right everyone this is it! The final match of the tournament! From the East Bracket we have Sora, Donald, and Goofy. And from the West Bracket we have Lightning Farron! The winner of this match will be the winner of the entire tournament!" announced Hercules.

He motioned for all combatants to enter the arena. Hercules left as the invisible wall enclosed around them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ready their weapons. Lightning reached behind her to remove her weapon from the black case that hung off her belt. It looked like a gun but with one flick of the wrist, it unfolded into a sword.

"Best of luck Lightning," said Sora.

"You need it more than I do kid," answered Lightning.

The bell rang to announce the beginning of the fight. Lightning flipped backwards landing on the opposite end of the arena. She aimed her sword and began pulling the trigger on it shooting bullets at the three of them. Sora tried to deflect them with his Keyblade but some managed to get through hurting him, Donald, and Goofy.

Donald cast a Thunder spell towards Lightning but it seem to do no damage. She raised her sword in the air and summoned her own Thunder spell, much more powerful then Donald's. It struck hard brining the three of them to the ground. Lightning now began running fast towards them. Goofy was the quickest to get up and hold his shield out in defense. Lightning struck the shield over and over hard and fast. Goofy was quickly tired down by this causing him to lower his shield. Lightning took the chance to knock him off his feet.

Donald was on his feet now and began casting Blizzard spells in her direction. But Lightning used her sword to attack the spells and send them flying behind her into the invisible wall. Donald then tired using his Gravity spell but it had no effect on her. One strike from her sword and Donald was down for the count.

Sora was the only one left standing. He charged Lightning with his Keyblade and their weapons met. Lightning had more strength and won the draw. Sora rolled backyards but landed on his feet. He tried shooting fireballs at her but she easily deflected them. Lightning once again summoned a Thunder spell that was powerful enough to knock Sora down onto the ground.

Sora stayed down as Lightning walked over and looked down on him. But something else caught her eye and she turned her attention to something else on the ground. Confused Sora looked to see what it was and he gasped. Kairi's good luck charm lay on the ground, having fallen out of his pocket.

Without even thinking, Sora reached out and grabbed the good luck charm. Lightning was about to attack but when she saw Sora reach for the charm and not his Keyblade she stopped. Neither of them moved or said anything for several minutes.

"You risk the match for that trinket?" asked Lightning?

"It's a good luck charm from someone very important to me. The person I fight for to protect," said Sora.

For the first time, Lightning showed emotion in her face. It was shock as she stared at the charm then Sora. Now her face suggested she was struggling internally. Finally she lowered her weapon then held a hand out for Sora. Sora grabbed her hand and he pulled him up. Donald and Goofy slowly got up as well and walked towards them.

"It looks like I may have made a mistake," said Lightning.

The crowd was very confused as was Hercules. There was whispering coming from the crowd as everyone tried to figure out what was going on. Lightning then turned towards Hercules.

"I forfeit the match," she said.

The audience gasped as did Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Darkness manifested from the ground behind the four fighters. Out of it walked Xehanort's Apprentice. Once out of the darkness, it disappeared behind him. Sora, Donald, and Goofy readied their weapons but Xehanort's Apprentice seemed to have his attention focused on Lightning.

"We had a deal Light and now you're throwing it all away because he made you feel?!" said the figure angrily.

"Deal's off Oswald. I told you from the beginning if you tricked me then it was over," said Lightning fiercely.

"Trick you?! How did I trick you?"

"You never told me your master was some lunatic trying to take over everything. You also left out what you've been doing in the other places you visited. I'm not going to help you find some guy who is going to make slaves out of everyone," explained Lightning.

"Lunatic? Slaves? Where did you…?" began the figure. But now he was looking at Sora.

"You! What have you been telling her?!"

Sora was confused. Had Lightning been working with him this whole time? Is that why she wouldn't talk about herself before? And the name she just said…

"Is your name Oswald?" asked Sora?

Xehanort's Apprentice growled and for the first time lowered his hood. His face was white with two long black rabbit ears sticking out from the top of his head. He had black eyes and small round black nose.

"That's right; I'm Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. I'm the apprentice to the great Master Xehanort. And I know who you three are! Apprentices to Mickey Mouse! It wasn't enough that he took everything away from me but now he sends his students to do his dirty work!"

"Dirty work? King Mickey would never!" shouted Donald.

"Oh really? He didn't tell you about me did he? Probably so you wouldn't find out what he did! Well guess what? I'll be more than happy to tell you! He took my master away, and then he destroyed my home world! But does anyone know this? No! All they know is King Mickey Mouse, ruler of Disney Castle and beloved by everyone! He thought I was long gone. I bet he was real surprised when I showed up again after so long!" Oswald explained angrily.

"You have the King confused with some other feller! He would never destroy another world!" replied Goofy.

"You want to blindly believe your precious king? Fine, let me show you where it will get you since Lightning here decided betray me. You don't need to worry about finding your precious sister anymore!" said Oswald.

He summoned his Keyblade and swung it once on his left and swung it once on his right. Out of the darkness came two large figures both covered in armor. On the left a warrior wearing gray armor and wielding a giant triangular shaped sword in his right hand. Two large horns stuck out from his helmet. A dark purple cape draped down from his shoulders. On the right was another warrior, covered in white armor with a shorter cape on his back. In his hand he held a staff.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Lightning prepared their weapons.

"Let me introduce you guys to two of the most fearsome warriors ever all the way from the Underworld. On my left is Garland, a warrior once said to be stuck in an infinite time loop. On my right is Ex-Death, a magician said to be born from a tree. While you three were off in the jungle with the ape man, I searched the whole Underworld for these guys and gave them a full pardon. Now they're going to finish all four of you off," explained Oswald.

"This is your surprise! This is why you stranded us in the jungle!" shouted Sora angrily.

"Oh yeah about that…Lightning, why don't you tell them all about that? But you better make it quick; I don't think these two are going to wait very long. Your luck has run out," said Oswald.

He hopped out of the arena bypassing the invisible walls and landed on a stone column to watch everything unfold. The coliseum was still filled with people watching in confusion. Hercules had been trying to bring down the invisible walls but to no avail.

Garland began swinging his giant sword in the air while Ex-Death preformed powerful magic with his staff to make himself and Garland even stronger.

"Lightning, have you been helping Oswald?" asked Sora.

Lightning sighed. "I'm sorry Sora."

Lightning stepped forward then placed her hand over her heart, she whispered something, and a glowing pink ball appeared in front of her. She struck the pink ball with her sword and it burst open filling the coliseum with light. Once the light dimmed down, Sora saw a giant mechanical horse descend down onto the ground. The very same mechanical horse they saw in the Sea of the Skies that attacked them. So it was true; Lightning had been working with Oswald.

"Let me help you take down these two and I'll explain everything," said Lightning.

"You've got it!" said Sora.

Garland began charging towards them while Ex-Death stayed in one spot summoning a giant fireball. Lightning jumped on top of her mechanical horse and grabbed a giant hook shaped sword to wield.

"Let's go Odin!" commanded Lightning.

Lightning charged at Garland while Sora, Donald, and Goofy charged Ex-Death. Sora attacked the huge fireball and sent it flying off into the sky. The three of them attacked Ex-Death but their attacks seemed to do almost no damage against him. Ex-Death laughed as he summoned a wind storm to blow them away.

Lightning was locked in deep combat with Garland. Sora could see that Garland's sword was attached to a chain which allowed him to throw his sword a great distance then retracted it instantly. One of these attacks hit Lightning directly and she fell off her horse, Odin.

"Lightning!" cried Sora!

But before he could run to her side, Odin began to transform before their eyes into a giant, mechanical warrior. He picked up Lightning back onto her feet. Odin then used his large sword to push Garland back.

"We need a strategy here. Ex-Death can't be taken head on but Garland can. Donald and I are the best at magic; he and I will focus on Ex-Death. Sora, you and Goofy deal with Garland," commanded Lightning.

"We're on it!" said Sora.

Sora and Goofy teamed up and charged Garland while Lightning, Donald, and Odin began firing off magic attacks at Ex-Death.

Goofy used his shield to block Garland's sword whenever he threw it at Sora who had plenty of open space to get close to Garland and attack him head on. Goofy spun around with his shield for even more damage. With both Sora and Goofy around him, Garland had no room to throw his sword.

Ex-Death continued to fire off powerful versions of fire, blizzard, and thunder. Odin used himself as a shield between them and Lightning and Donald. This allowed Lightning to use powerful Thunder spells and Donald to fire off spells that resembled fireworks. With all the attacks hitting Ex-Death, he was unable to concentrate and summon spells. Odin was even able to get in a few physical attacks while Ex-Death was confused.

"Are you kidding me?!" they heard Oswald shout.

Both Garland and Ex-Death were being worn down. Sora and Lightning took the opportunity, jumping into the air with their weapons aimed directly at the two warriors. With one slice from each of them, Garland and Ex-Death fell. Darkness surrounded them and they disappeared, most likely back to the Underworld.

Sora and Lightning landed softly on the ground as Donald and Goofy ran up to join them. Odin disappeared in a bright pink light. The invisible walls fell with the match officially being over. Hercules ran over to make sure everyone was all right.

Furious at the outcome, Oswald hopped down from the stone column he had been standing on and landed in front of all of them.

"What does it take to get rid of you guys?!" he shouted!

"Game over Oswald. We end this here and now!" said Lightning.

"Oh this will all end, just not here! I'm…" But Oswald stopped talking. His ears were twitching uncontrollably. He looked up at the sky for a moment then got a big grin on his face.

"It looks like your wonderful King is looking for you three. He's not going to be happy with you guys when he sees me still free. I think it's time to stop messing around with you three and go straight to the source of my problems. So second star on the right and straight on till morning…" said Oswald.

"King Mickey is searching for us?" asked Donald?

"Second star on the right…" mumbled Goofy.

"Neverland!" cried Sora.

"Once I've dealt with your King, I'll come back for all of you. As for you Lightning, good luck finding your sister now!" laughed Oswald. Then he disappeared into the darkness.

Lightning tried to run after him but he was already gone. The crowd began to cheer for the victors of the match but she fell to her knees defeated.

"I'll clear out the stadium then we can talk," Hercules whispered to Sora.

Meg and Phil soon appeared alongside Hercules and together the three of them began to lead the people out of the coliseum. The coliseum was cleared out quickly as Hercules, Meg, and Phil came back to the quit arena. Lightning was standing by herself. The group approached her.

"I am so sorry. Oswald had me believe you were the enemy. I should have known better," said Lightning. She had emotion in her voice this time and it was guilt.

"Tell us what happened," Sora said.

"Back at the castle Oswald approached me. He overheard what I was talking to Princess Belle about in the library. He offered to help me find what I was looking for if I helped him with a problem he was having, the problem being you three," explained Lightning.

"So he made ya crash our ship into the jungle," said Goofy.

"He said he needed time to find warriors strong enough to take you down here in the coliseum. He told me told me you three were trying to stop him from finding someone very important so I followed along. But I never did entirely believe him which is I approached you three here at the coliseum. Oswald thought I was gathering information. In a way, I was but not for him," Lightning said.

"This Oswald must have traveled to the Underworld and found those warriors locked up in one of the deepest dungeons. Hades has been absent of late," explained Hercules.

"If you didn't trust him, why did you help him?" asked Donald.

"His ears allow him to hear people who are very far away. It was how he followed you guys and found me. If I helped him, he agreed to help me find my younger sister Serah," answered Lighning.

"What happened to her?" asked Meg?

"We were separated sometime ago from our home world. The rulers of our world gave us destinies to fulfill on their behalf along with special powers like you just saw. Serah completed hers and I had just received mine when we were separated. She's out there somewhere and I will find her," said Lightning.

"That's rough…" said Phil.

"So you're trying to find her all by yourself?" asked Sora.

"That's how I've been doing things since our parents died, alone with no help. I guess that's how I know best how to do things," said Lightning.

"Well you won't be alone anymore. Donald, Goofy, and I will help you. We're pretty good at finding lost people," said Sora happily.

"After everything I've done, you would still help me? What's the catch?" asked Lightning seriously.

"No catch!" said Donald.

"We're friends now and friends help each other out," added Goofy.

Lightning was stunned. It was clear she wasn't use to having people wanting to help her and now that it was happening, she didn't know how to react to it.

"Sora, the charm of yours, you said it belong to someone special?" asked Lightning.

Sora nodded and pulled out Kairi's good luck charm to show her.

"Her name is Kairi and I once lost her. Donald, Goofy, and I looked everywhere for her and found her. But then I had to go save other friends. So she gave me this good luck charm saying no matter where I am, she'll always be with me," explained Sora.

For the first time since they had met her, Lightning smiled softly. This caused everyone else to smile as well. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled something out. It was a small silver pocket knife. She handed it to Sora.

"Serah gave this to me as a gift on my 21st birthday. If you find her, give it to her and tell her how sorry I am," said Lightning.

"Will do," said Sora.

"If there something I can do…" added Lightning.

"Actually there is," said Donald.

"Did that Oswlad feller say anything to you about King Mickey?" asked Goofy.

"Yes he did. Oswald said King Mickey took his master away from him and destroyed his world. That's when he became an apprentice to that Xehanort guy everyone keeps talking about. Oswald said he went into hiding years ago on Xehanort's command. Now he believes Xehanort has returned and he's trying to find him hoping to finally get revenge on King Mickey," explained Lightning.

"That's absurd!" shouted Donald.

"The King would never destroy someone's world or take away their master," said Goofy.

"Whatever is going on, Oswald is determined to make things right the way he sees it," said Lightning.

"We'll stop him. We know where he's going next so we'll catch him there before he hurts the King," said Sora confidently.

Lightning now turned to Hercules, Meg, and Phil.

"Sorry about ruining your tournament."

"Ruin it? Honey, it wouldn't be a tournament if some nut job tried to use it for their evil plans," said Meg.

"Besides, I see the making of a true hero in you," said Phil.

"Trust me, I'm no hero," said Lightning.

"One thing I've learned, you don't get to decide if you're a hero or not," said Hercules.

Lightning nodded her head and began to walk away. Sora tried to stop her.

"Where are you going?"

"To look for Serah. Don't forget what I said if you find her," said Lightning.

Without another word, Lightning left the coliseum. Sora realized it was time for him, Donald and Goofy to do the same. Sora was about to tell Hercules this but he held up his hand to stop him from talking.

"I know; a hero's duty is never done. We'll catch up more another time," Hercules said.

"Good luck on your journey Sora," said Meg.

"Stay longer next time ok?" said Phil.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded, exchanged good-byes then exited the coliseum. Outside in the courtyard was the same large crowd wanting to congratulate them on their win. The trio did their best to squeeze through the crowd quickly to make their way to the stairs. Before they did something caught Sora's eye. The banner that had Lightning's name on it had changed. Lightning's name was no longer on the chart. Instead at the number one spot was the name Claire Farron. Who was this person and why had her name replaced Lightning's?

"Sora, come on!" shouted Donald.

Sora decided that was a mystery for another time. He followed Donald and Goofy down the stairs towards the town where the Gummi Ship was.

**Sea of the Skies**

The Gummi Ship's communication devices were still down but it didn't matter. If what Oswald said was true, King Mickey was in the world of Neverland. Though Sora, Donald, and Goofy had never technically been to this world, they know the people who live there. One of them is Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up and has adventures every day. He's helped Sora out on his last two journeys, the first time helping them escape from the pirate Captain Hook and the second time coming to Sora's aid whenever he summoned him. He is a good fighter but even he may not be a match for Oswald.

Jiminy Cricket was sitting on Sora's shoulder going over all his notes so far, hoping to find some information they may have missed. Donald and Goofy were sitting at the front of the ship not saying anything. It would seem Oswald's words were still fresh in their minds and what was bothering them.

"You know, I don't believe anything Oswald said about the King," said Jiminy.

"You don't?" asked Donald and Goofy?

"Nope but he sure seems to believe it. He has no reason to lie about it. Which makes me think someone told him all that stuff about King Mickey and he believes it to be true," said Jiminy.

"It had to be Xehanort," said Sora simply.

"I agree and I bet he's the one that destroyed Oswald's world," said Jiminy.

"But why lie to him, saying King Mickey did it?" asked Goofy?

"Maybe he wanted someone else to fight King Mickey," said Sora.

"Yeah because Xehanort knows no one can beat King Mickey!" said Donald.

"Actually, that's something else bothering me," said Jiminy seriously.

"What's that?" asked Sora?

"Lightning told us that Oswald said King Mickey took his master away then destroyed his world. It was after that he became an apprentice to Xehanort. So who was Oswald first master?" questioned Jiminy.

Jiminy was right now that Sora thought about it. Oswald said a master was taken away from him before his home world was destroyed then he became an apprentice to Xehanort. So Oswald was an apprentice to someone else. But who was this previous master and why did Oswald think King Mickey was involved in the disappearance?

"Maybe it was an older Keyblade Master!" suggested Donald.

"Like the ones King Mickey knew," said Goofy.

"I just don't know…" said Jiminy.

"Maybe King Mickey will know who Oswald's previous master was and how Xeahnort fits into all of this," said Sora.

"Garwsh I sure hope he's okay," said Goofy.

"If he's in Neverland, he'll have Peter Pan to help him out. Between the five of us, we can beat Oswald and get some answers," said Sora confidently.

"Speaking of Neverland!" said Donald pointing out the window.

Out the window in the distance was Neverland. Sora had never set foot on this particular world but he had seen it before. During their first adventure, Peter Pan's nemesis, the pirate Captain Hook had captured Sora, Donald, and Goofy aboard his ship which had the power to travel between the worlds. Captain Hook was one of the many villains working with Maleficent to capture the seven Princesses of Heart and the keyblade. Peter Pan happens to be onboard trying to rescue a girl named Wendy he had befriended in a different world. They worked together to defeat Hook. It was also on Hook's ship that Maleficent had temporally been holding Kairi.

Sora watched out the window as they landed the Gummi Ship down into Neverland.

**Neverland **

The ship landed in small clearing in the jungle on the south side of the island. They didn't need to hide the ship since everyone in this world knew the existence of other worlds. This world has completely new to the three of them so they didn't know where to start looking. But they knew to look for Peter Pan.

They wondered aimlessly through the jungle. They could hear the sound of water flowing somewhere nearby. No signs of any wildlife could be seen or heard. The world seemed eerily quiet just like the forest in Enchanted Dominion. In that case it meant the presence of Heartless so the trio made sure to keep their guard up.

It wasn't too much longer after noticing this that they heard leaves rustling behind him. Without wasting a second, the three of them summoned their weapons and began frantically looking around. But there was no sign of the Heartless anywhere. But the leaves continue to rustle around them. They looked up and saw something golden flying towards them.

"Tinker Bell!" cried Donald!

The fairy known as Tinker Bell flew down to be at eye level with Sora. She was a tiny fairy covered in a golden glow. Tinker Bell was wearing a green dress with a very short skirt and green flat shoes with white pom poms on each one. Her blonde hair was styled into a bun tied with a blue ribbon. Golden pixie dust fell off her with each beat of her wings. The pixie dust could be used to make anyone who believed hard enough to fly. She didn't speak yet somehow Peter Pan could understand and communicate with her.

She seemed very happy to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy. She kept flying around Sora's head quickly.

"Hey Tink, could you take us to Peter?" asked Sora?

Tinker Bell nodded her head very excitedly and flew off in another direction. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had to run quick to keep up with her. Luckily she left behind a trail of pixie dust behind her making it easier to find her if they lost track.

Tinker Bell brought them to a clearing in the jungle where a large tree stood in the very middle. The branches coming out of the tree were extremely thick. Large openings were scattered all over the trunk of the tree. Luckily there seemed to be one opening at the very base of the tree.

Tinker Bell flew through the opening at the base of the tree so the trio followed her. A staircase was hidden in the base that led downward underground. Sora, Donald, and Goofy slowly walked down the stairs. The hallway was narrow and a bit claustrophobic. Sora kept his hand on the wall at all times to guide him.

When they got to the bottom of the staircase they could hear people talking. The voices belong to very young boys from the sounds of it.

"Sing it again!"

"Please?"

"We want to hear it again!"

Then they heard a very familiar voice.

"Gosh, I would sure like to hear the song again."

There was no mistaking the voice of King Mickey. Then they heard a girl's voice.

"All right then, but just one more time," said the voice happily.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Nobody seemed to notice them entered as the girl began to sing.

_Make my wish come true, let darkness slip aside _

_Hiding all our hope, mocking what we treasure _

_Battles we can win, if we believe our souls _

_Hang in for the light, till dawn _

_Fate will not leave you, hate will not heal you _

_Pray and one day, peace shall flow everywhere _

Sora for a brief moment forgot where he was when the song was over. It was a very beautiful song. Singing it was a young girl sitting on a stump in the center of the room surrounded by people. Even sitting down, Sora could tell she was very tall. Her outfit consisted of a sleeveless white dress shirt, a red plaid mini skirt, and a pink sweeper. She also wore ivory colored boots and black stockings that went all the way up to her thighs. Around her left arm was a bandage. On her neck was a very pretty silver necklace. Her hair was light pink, wore in a ponytail on her left side. She reminded Sora of someone…

Around her were six boys all dressed like different animals; a skunk, a fox, a bear, two raccoons, and a rabbit. Sora assumed these to be the Lost Boys that Peter Pan had mentioned. Speaking of Peter Pan, he was floating in mid air next to the young girl listening intently to her. He was dressed the same way Sora remembered, a green pixie outfit, brown shoes, and a pointed green hat with a red feather stuck in it. His ears were pointed as well. Around his waist he carried a small knife.

On the other side of the young girl was none other than King Mickey Mouse. Tinker Bell flew over to him and pointed out where Sora, Donald, and Goofy were standing. A great big smile appeared on his face.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy! You're all right!"

He ran over while Donald and Goofy ran to him and the three of them embraced in hug happy to see one and another.

"Sora! Glad to see you!" said Peter Pan.

"Hey Peter!" said Sora back.

Peter flew past everyone and began slowly float around Sora looking him over.

"You sure grew up a lot since I last saw you," said Peter Pan seriously.

"Yeah I guess I did," laughed Sora.

Peter Pan turned around to face the Lost Boys.

"Attention!" shouted Peter Pan.

The Lost Boys quickly sat up, turned around to face Peter, and salute him.

"Men! This is Sora, Donald, and Goofy! I expect you all to show him the same respect you show me!" commanded Peter Pan.

"Yes Pan sir!" cried the Lost Boys.

"At ease men!" commanded Peter Pan.

The Lost Boys quickly ran up to Sora to look him over. They seemed very interested in him, jumping up and down trying to get his attention. They were all yelling questions at him, but Sora couldn't make out one question from another.

"Sora, glad to see you!"

King Mickey walked over which caused the Lost Boys to break up. Donald and Goofy followed closely behind the king. He held at his hand for Sora to shake which he did.

"I'm so glad you're safe your majesty," said Sora.

"Me too. But how did you know I was here?" asked King Mickey.

"That feller Oswald told us," answered Goofy.

"Oswald? Whose Oswald?" asked King Mickey confused?

It's kind of a long story your majesty," answered Sora.

"It sounds like we have a lot to talk about," said King Mickey.

"Sounds important! Men you are dismissed!" said Peter Pan.

The Lost Boys saluted Peter Pan once more and exited the hideout but not before grabbing their various weapons and bags they needed for adventuring. As they exited and more room opened up, Sora turned his attention to the girl with pink hair. Could it be…?

"Oh right! Sora I want you to meet our new mother Serah!"

Serah walked up to Sora and held her hand out for a shake. "Hello Sora, it's nice to meet you."

Sora was still staring at her, realizing Peter had just confirmed who he thought she was. Serah had a slightly nervous look on her face. Neither King Mickey nor Peter Pan could figure what the problem was but Donald and Goofy understood.

"You're Lightning's sister right?" asked Sora finally.

Serah gasp and retracted her hand. "You know Lightning?" she asked.

Sora nodded his head then reached into his pocket to pull out the knife Lightning gave him back the coliseum. He held it out for Serah.

"She said if we found you to give this to you and tell you that she's really sorry," said Sora.

Serah slowly took the knife from Sora's hand and looked at it for a long time. A tear rolled down her check.

"Lightning, is she okay?" asked Serah.

"She's trying really hard to find you. She's been searching every world for you," explained Sora.

"So she's not mad at me?" asked Serah?

"Nope but she's awfully worried about you," answered Goofy.

"Oh yeah, these are my friends Donald and Goofy," Sora said quickly.

"She really wants to find you," added Donald.

Serah took the knife and stuck it in a pocket inside her sweeper. She then wiped the tear from her face.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, thank you very much," said Serah.

"So do you mind if I ask how you got here in Neverland?" asked Sora.

"I found her!" answered Peter Pan.

"It was in my home world. I had just been separated from Lightning when Peter found me alone and crying," explained Serah.

"I had been going to her world a couple of times to hear her sing. Then she told me a bunch of grownups were trying to make her do stuff she didn't want to do. So I brought her here to Neverland where she would never grow up and could be a mother for the Lost Boys," explained Peter Pan.

"Peter has been taking really good care of me. Everything is so much calmer here and I don't have to worry about the destiny I'm expected to fulfill," said Serah.

"Destiny…" mumbled Sora. He remembered Lightning saying something about destiny too.

"Ah you don't need to worry about that anymore Serah. Here in Neverland you just sing us songs and have adventures every day," said Peter Pan proudly.

Since Peter Pan never grew up, he didn't like grownups of any kind. All he wants to do each day is have adventures such as going on treasure hunts and fighting Captain Hook. His personality is extremely child like.

Serah giggled. "Thanks Peter."

"Gosh I don't mean to interrupt but I think we need to catch up on the mysterious fella causing so much trouble," said King Mickey.

"Oh right, sorry your majesty," said Sora.

"Sounds like another adventure! What's going on Sora?" asked Peter Pan.

Sora, Doanld, and Goofy quickly told Peter and Serah the beginning of the story; how Master Yen Sid sensed a dark presence awakening and how be believed it to be Master Xehanort. They first traveled to Enchanted Dominion because they thought the presence was looking for Maleficent. They found the mysterious individual who sent Heartless after them and got away. Then they chased him to Prince Adam's Castle. All of this King Mickey already knew but now Peter Pan and Serah were also up to speed.

"So what happened at Beast's Castle?" asked King Mickey?

"He was there. He turned Prince Adam into his Beast form to attack us," explained Sora.

"How did he do that?" asked King Mickey?

"He has a Keyblade your majesty!" answered Donald.

"A Keyblade?! But how?!" asked King Mickey very surprised.

"He said he's Xehanort's Apprentice," answered Goofy.

"WHAT?!" shouted King Mickey!

Sora, Donald, and Goofy said nothing for a moment while King Mickey calmed down for a minute. Obviously this was a lot of information for him to process. Peter Pan and Serah looked confused but were listen carefully none the less.

"Was Prince Adam okay?" King Mickey finally asked.

"Belle was able to get through to his heart and he turned back. Then Oswald, that's Xehanort's Apprentice, got away," said Sora.

"So why didn't you contact us after you left the castle?" asked King Mickey.

"Our ship was attacked in the Sea of the Skies by…" began Goofy but Sora quickly cut him off before he could finish his sentence. The last thing Serah needed to hear was that her sister was tricked to work for Oswald.

"Oswald sent a Heartless to attack our ship causing us to crash land in the world Deep Jungle," Sora quickly said. Donald and Goofy quickly understood why Sora was lying and knew to follow along.

"The ship was heavily damaged your majesty," said Donald.

"But luckily there were some Moogles in that world that helped repair the ship," added Goofy.

"Oswald also showed up in that world telling us to come to Olympus Coliseum where he would have a surprise waiting for us," said Sora.

"You mean a trap," said King Mickey.

"Exactly but thanks to Lightning we were able to stop his surprise," answered Sora.

Serah smiled when Sora said this. It was for the best she not know the truth that she had fought them first before realizing Oswald had been using her.

"Then he used those big ears of his to find out you were here in Neverland and he disappeared into the darkness," said Goofy.

"That's how we knew you were here your majesty," said Donald.

"So what happened to Lightning?" asked Serah.

"We didn't know you were here too Serah. If we had, we would have had her come with us. But she left the coliseum to go search for you in a different world. She didn't say where she was going," answered Sora.

"I understand. As long as she's okay, that's all that matters," said Serah trying to keep a positive attitude.

"So why is he coming after me?" asked King Mickey.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy said nothing. They hadn't forgotten what Oswald had accused King Mickey of. None of them believed Oswald but still, how to they tell it to the King?

"He, um…he blames you for some stuff that has happened to him," Sora started.

"Gosh fellas, I've never even heard of this Oswald fella so I can't imagine what he thinks I've done to him," said King Mickey.

"He said you took his master away from him," answered Donald.

"Xehanort?" asked King Mickey.

"He didn't really say…" said Sora.

"Also your majesty he said you destroyed his world," said Goofy sadly.

King Mickey gasped but words seemed to fail him. Everyone was looking at him waiting for him say something.

"I never…I mean I've never destroyed a world. This Oswald must have me confused with someone else!" said King Mickey.

"We think Xehanort may have lied to him," Sora said quickly.

"Now that I can believe," said King Mickey.

"Hold on a minute! So what you're saying is there is a bad guy here in Neverland most likely causing trouble? I can't let that happen! We got to find this guy and stop him!" said Peter Pan fiercely.

"So you'll help us find him?" asked Sora.

"Of course I'll help! Having Hook here is bad enough! I can't let another bad guy go around ruining all my fun! Besides I know Neverland like the back of my own hand! There's nowhere this Oswald can hide that I don't know about!" Peter Pan said.

"We really appreciate that Peter," said King Mickey.

"Of course you do! Now we better get going! Oh Tink! Find the Lost Boys and tell them to meet me on the island!" commanded Peter Pan.

Tinker Bell nodded her head and flew out the exit of the hideout to find the Lost Boys.

"I want to come to," said Serah.

Everyone was shocked by this and turned around to see her looking determined.

"Gosh, are you sure Serah?" asked King Mickey.

"It's the least I can do your majesty after all the good news Sora, Donald, and Goofy brought. Plus I want to help Peter," answered Serah.

"The more the merrier! Come on everyone, follow me!" said Peter Pan.

Peter Pan flew out the entrance just as Tinker Bell had done. Sora, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and Serah followed him as best as they could. They exited the hideout and headed back into the thick jungle. Peter Pan flew high above them darting left to right looking everywhere. Occasionally he would come down to help the others take a closer look.

They soon came to Mermaid Lagoon. The water in the lagoon was so clear you could see the bottom. The others stayed back while Peter Pan talked with the mermaids in the area asking if they had seen Oswald or anyone else suspicious. Some of the mermaids were swimming around while other laid on rocks tanning in the sun. They were all very happy to see Peter Pan.

"Sora, do you have any proof of what Oswald says about him being Xehanort's apprentice?" asked King Mickey.

"Actually we do your majesty back at the Gummi Ship. When we were in Deep Jungle, an experiment of Xehanort's called Red XIII had some notes of his. One of the reports mentions him having an apprentice," said Sora.

"So this Oswald is most likely Xehanort's Apprentice," said King Mickey.

"Do you think he's lying about that your majesty?" asked Donald.

"Well I'm not sure. When we find him, we'll get to the bottom of it for sure," answered King Mickey.

The mermaids had nothing to say so they moved on, continuing to follow Peter Pan as he flew in front of them. There next stop was Rainbow Falls, a large water fall on the north side of the island. Peter Pan flew up and done it looking for Oswald.

"So why did you come to Neverland your majesty?" asked Goofy.

After I lost contact with you fellas, I had Leon come from Radiant Garden to watch over Disney Castle while I went out looking for ya. I checked Beast's Castle but I when I couldn't find you fellas there I went searching other worlds. I decided to start with worlds Maleficent had been too because the last thing you had told me is that you thought Oswald was looking for her. Plus I've been to this world once before. I thought it was a good place to start looking. I met Peter and he insisted I stay here. He had a feeling you three would show up eventually," explained King Mickey.

"We're just glad your okay your majesty. We were worried Oswald would beat us here," said Sora.

"I was worried about you too but not as much as Kairi I'm guessing," said King Mickey.

"Kairi?" asked Sora surprised.

"Yen Sid told her we lost contact with you and from the sounds of it, she was awful worried about you. She was ready to go looking for you herself," said King Mickey.

"So she's okay? She's still at Master Yen Sid's tower?" asked Sora.

"Yep and once we've dealt with Oswald we'll return to Master Yen Sid's so you two can see each other. I'm sure she misses you a whole lot," said King Mickey confidently.

Sora tried to smile. He had been trying very hard to stay strong while on this adventure. But he couldn't deny how much he was missing Kairi. But having her good luck charm made it feel like she was a lot closer.

Peter Pan reported no findings in the fall so they continued to move on. They walked a great distance around Neverland before finally coming to the Indian Camp. Once again, Peter Pan had everyone stay behind while he went to check out the camp. It would seem he had friend there named Tiger Lily he could get some information from.

"So Sora, who's this Kairi? She sounds very special," said Serah with a mischievous smile.

"Wha? Oh yeah, she's a really good friend," said Sora.

"That's not what I mean," Serah said trying not to giggle. Donald and Goofy were also trying not to laugh.

"What are you two laughing at?" asked Sora angrily.

"You're face is all red!" said Donald.

"What? It is not!" said Sora.

"A-hyuck it sure is," laughed Goofy.

Sora tried desperately to hide his face from everyone. He knew exactly what Serah meant…

"Kairi is very special to Sora," said King Mickey simply.

Serah laughed. "I'm sorry Sora, I was just teasing. The truth is I have someone very special to my heart too. My fiancé Snow."

"Gawrsh Serah congratulations," said Goofy.

"Thank you Goofy. He gave me this necklace when he proposed to me. It was so sweet," said Serah holding out a silver necklace that looked like a sphere with a crystal forming below it.

"So where is he?" asked Donald.

"We got separated at the same time I got separated from Lightning. I'm not sure where he is," answered Serah.

"Gosh Serah, I'm sure he's out there looking for you too just like Lightning," said King Mickey.

Serah nodded her head in agreement. Peter Pan returned.

"Nothing at all! Let's head back to the hideout and regroup," said Peter Pan.

Everyone agreed and began to follow him back to the hideout. Sora stayed behind and held Serah.

"You were right Serah. Kairi is really special to me. I want to tell her I'm just not sure how," Sora explained.

Serah smiled and held Sora's hand in her own. "You already know how to tell her in your heart. You may not realize it but your heart does. And it'll tell you when it's time."

"Thanks Serah," said Sora.

As they walked through the jungle once again, Peter Pan seemed preoccupied with something on his mind.

"Where are the Lost Boys? I told Tink to find them and meet with us," he finally said.

"Maybe we just passed them," said Sora.

"I would've seen them from up here. Nope, something must have happened," said Peter Pan.

Unfortunately when they returned to the hideout, Peter Pan's suspicion was proved correct. Waiting for them outside the hideout was none other than the infamous pirate Captain Hook. He looked exactly the same when Sora last saw him. He was wearing his long red coat with a white dress shirt underneath it. His red captain's hat had a large white feather sticking out of it. Where his left hand should be was replaced with a silver hook. His actual left hand had been eaten by a crocodile. In his right hand he held a rapier.

"I should have known! Hook, where are my men!" questioned Peter Pan.

"Show some manners boy! As for your men, I promise they are being well taken care of…for now at least," said Hook. He turned his attention to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Well look who it is! The Keyblade wielder and his bilge rat of friends! And is that the famous king I heard Maleficent go on and on so much about!"

"So you're Captain Hook! What have you done with our friends?" King Mickey asked angrily!

"Why don't you try cleaning out those giant ears of yours rat! I just told you they are being well taken care of. But for how long depends on you," answered Hook.

"Enough games Hook!" shouted Sora.

"Inpatient brat! I'm holding them at Skull Rock along with your pixie friend! Better get over there quick before the rabbit loses his patience," said Hook.

"Rabbit…you mean Oswald!" cried Sora.

"Yes that's it. He's rounded up the whole lot of them and wants to see anyone holding a Keyblade right away. But that doesn't mean I can't have some fun first. So to make sure you brats don't try to follow too close to me…"

Armies of Heartless appear between them and Hook who takes the opportunity to quickly get away. Sora, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and Peter Pan ready their weapons to fight them. Serah stayed back while the other five took on the Heartless. These were some extremely strong Heartless. For some reason, Neverland seemed to attract a very strong variety of Heartless.

After a long battle, the army of Heartless was brought down. But Hook was long gone.

"Hook has gone too far this time!" shouted Peter Pan.

"But why would Oswald help Hook?" asked Serah.

"To get to us," answered Sora.

"We know where he is. I say it's high time we get some answers!" declared King Mickey.

"Follow me to Skull Rock!" cried Peter Pan.

Peter Pan flew off in the opposite direction while Sora, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and Serah followed him as best as they could. They ran towards Mermaid Lagoon once again but this time went a different direction. The mermaids were quick to point out that Hook had just past by not too long ago. Peter Pan helped the others cross over the lagoon to the Cliff Path so they could continue on to Skull Rock.

The crossed the Cliff Path and came to a cove. In the distance, across the ocean, they could see Skull Rock. There was one problem; there was no boat to help them cross over to the island and since Peter Pan was the only one who could fly, the others had no way to get over.

"It looks like we might have to swim," said Sora.

"We can't swim that far!" said Donald.

"Well how else are we supposed to get over there?" asked Sora angrily?

"Look over there!" cried Serah pointing towards the island.

Something golden was floating towards them very quickly. Everyone quickly realized it was Tinker Bell.

"Tink! You escaped! What about the lost boys?" asked Peter Pan?

Tink began communicating with Peter Pan. None of the others could understand her but Peter Pan seemed to understand her just fine. When she was done talking, Peter Pan turned towards the others.

"Tink somehow managed to escape while the others were distracted. Now we have a way over there!" said Peter Pan excitedly.

"We do? Gosh Peter, I don't Tinker Bell is strong enough to carry us over there," said King Mickey.

"No your majesty, Tinker Bell can sprinkle us with her pixie dust and we'll be able to fly over to the island," laughed Sora as he explained to King Mickey.

Tinker Bell flew up high and began to sprinkle her pixie dust all around the five of them. Everyone began to glow gold just like Tinker Bell. King Mickey seemed very facsniated by all of this.

"Now your majesty just think of a happy thought and believe you can fly," explained Goofy.

"Any happy thought?" asked King Mickey?

"Any one!" said Donald happily.

King Mickey closed his eyes for a moment. He was surprised when he opened his eyes and found himself floating in midair just like Peter Pan. Soon Donald and Goofy were doing the same thing.

"Wow! This is amazing!" said King Mickey.

Serah closed her eyes and concentrated hard on a happy thought. She too was floating in the air. Sora closed his eyes now. He thought of Kairi; when he made it back to the islands after his second adventure and she was there waiting for him. Then his thoughts changed to the day afterwards when he went into the cave on the island, inside were chalk drawings he, Riku, and Kairi had done as children. He remembered seeing the drawing of him and Kairi and how she had drawn in them sharing a special fruit…

"Sora! Walk up!" shouted Donald.

Sora opened his eyes and realized it was indeed airborne but had flown up much higher than anyone else. He concentrated on where they others were floating and soon he felt his body slowly lowering to the same height as the others.

"Sorry about that," Sora laughed nervously.

"All right everyone! Follow my lead to Skull Rock!" instructed Peter Pan.

He flew off across the ocean with Tinker Bell at his side. Behind him were King Mickey, Donald and Goofy. King Mickey had never flown before like the others so it was taking a little getting used to. Once or twice he almost landed in the ocean. Sora and Serah flew close behind the others.

"That must have been some happy memory to make you fly up so high. Were you thinking of someone special possibly?" Serah asked Sora with a mischievous smile.

Sora didn't respond right away. "Yeah, I was thinking about Kairi and the last time we were on the islands together. What about you? Were you thinking of Lightning?"

Serah nodded. "I feel so much happier knowing she's okay and that she's looking for me. I hope we find each other soon."

"You will. Just like Kairi and I will see each other again soon," said Sora.

Peter Pan led them to the top of Skull Rock True to its name; the entire island looked like a huge gray skull. They entered the cave through the opening that was the right eye. Inside the cave they sat on a ledge to get a view below. Down on the ground floor they saw all the Lost Boys tied up together. Captain Hook and Oswald were there too arguing with each other.

"How could you let the pixie escape like that? Now the brats will be able to reach us easier!" yelled Hook.

"Don't go blaming me! You should have been keeping a closer eye on her! And why does it matter anyway? We want them to come here! Don't you want to finish off Pan once and for all? I know I want to deal with the king and his apprentices! So stop complaining and get ready!" ordered Oswald.

"Don't go ordering me around your scurvy rabbit! I still don't see why your intent on making them walk the plank?" yelled Hook.

"I told you! There so called King took away my master then destroyed my home! Then he forced me into hiding for all those years! The minute I return, he's sending his apprentices to finish me off! He has this coming to him!" explained Oswald.

Everyone was looking at King Mickey who could not believe what he was hearing. It was becoming more and more clear that King Mickey did not do any of the things that Oswald was accusing him of. So the question was where did Oswald get the idea that the king had done all this?

"You're wasting your time rabbit. Maleficent and a whole lot of us tried to take on that Keyblade wielding brat once and we all failed. What makes you think you can bring them down?" asked Hook.

"I'll show you once they get here," said Oswald with an evil smile.

"Well then, it's a good thing we are here!" shouted Peter Pan.

They all hovered down and landed on the ground opposite of Hook and Oswald. The Lost Boys cheered at the sight of Peter Pan. Hook was unable to form words, instead just stuttering. Oswald slowing walked in front of Hook staring at King Mickey. Because of this, King Mickey also stepped forward. Nobody said anything as the two stared each other down.

"King Mickey Mouse, so we finally meet face to face," said Oswald.

"Yep and I'm told you're Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. You claim to be Xehanort's Apprentice," said King Mickey.

"Claim?! I am Xehanort's Apprentice! It's not enough you took away my first master, but now you're threatening to take away Master Xehanort. Boy, you are a real piece of work," said Oswald.

"Took away your first master? Gosh Oswald, I don't know what you're talking about," said King Mickey sincerely.

"Oh I see. Don't want your loyal apprentices knowing the truth about you huh? That's probably why you sent them after me without saying anything. Well guess what? They already do! I caught them up back at the coliseum. They were pretty surprised to find out their wonderful king and master has been keeping such dark secrets from them. Taking away my first master, destroying my world, forcing me to go into hiding for so long, and list goes on," said Oswald.

"I don't even know you Oswald or your first master and I've never destroyed a world before. What makes you think I did all that?" asked King Mickey?

"Master Xehanort told me everything. Just like he told me you would come after me someday to finish me off. Well I'm not going to let that happen! It all ends right here!" shouted Oswald!

He summoned his Keyblade in his hand and aimed it out the opening that they had all just flown in. Darkness sprouted from the air and a giant Heartless flew from out of it. This Heartless resembled a giant skeletal bird holding a treasure chest in its talons. It screeched as it flew into the cave and landed behind Oswald and Hook.

At the sight of this bird, Hook began to laugh. "Looks like your time is up Peter Pan!"

"I'm not afraid of some big Heartless! We can take it together!" shouted Peter Pan as he drew his knife.

Donald summoned his wand and shot a small fireball towards the Lost Boys to burn the ropes that bound them. Freed, they retreated behind the others whom were all summoning their weapons. King Mickey summoned his Kingdom Key D keyblade, a keyblade that looked exactly like Sora's except the colors were reversed. While Sora's keyblade came from the Realm of Light, King Mickey's came from the Realm of Darkness. When Oswald saw King Mickey's keyblade, he became furious.

"Xehanort was right! Your Keyblade is just like mine! Is there anything you won't take away from me?!"

"Oswald, let's just talk. Xehanort has been lying to you. I can help you learn the truth!" pleaded King Mickey.

"I already know the truth! That you've been casting a shadow on me for too long! This ends right now!" shouted Oswald.

It was clear there was no convincing Oswald of the truth or the fact Xehanort had been lying to him for who knows how long. Right now though, they had to deal with the Heartless he had just summoned.

"Serah, you and the Lost Boys stand back while we deal with these guys," Sora.

"But you guys need help defeating all three of them…" Serah began to say but she was cut off.

"Wait a second, did you say Serah?" asked Oswald.

Everyone turned their attention back on Oswald but said nothing. Sora was worried. If Oswald was about to say what he thought he was going to say…

"You're Lightning's sister, the one she was so desperate to find!" said Oswald.

Serah gasped but quickly built up her courage and walked up to beside King Mickey to face Oswald. She trembled a bit before speaking. "That's right, Lightning is my sister. And Sora told me how she helped kick your butt."

Oswald burst out laughing that echoed through the cave. Everyone except Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked confused as to why he was laughing.

"Well I see the apples don't fall far from the tree! Is that what those three told you? Well then allow me to reveal another truth they are so keen on hiding. Your dear sister agreed to help me defeat these guys. She attacked their ship forcing them to crash in the jungle world. Then she fought them in the coliseum! She would have finished them off too if she didn't get all sentimental," said Oswald gleefully.

"No…that's not…Sora, tell him he's lying!" pleaded Serah.

But Sora said nothing, neither did Donald and Goofy. What he was saying was true and now he just called them out on it. Serah took their silence as confirmation to what Oswald had just said. Devastated, Serah ran out of the cave.

"Serah, wait!" cried Sora.

Before he could go over after, the giant skeletal bird Heartless flew over and landed in front of the exit. It screeched loudly at Sora who was prevented from going after Serah. King Mickey turned towards Oswald looking very angry.

"You'll pay for that!" he cried.

King Mickey ran towards Oswald with his Keyblade and Oswald did the same. The two of them clashed with their Keyblades and began to fight.

"Sora! You, Donald, and Goofy deal with the Heartless! I'll take care of Hook!" commanded Peter Pan.

Sora agreed. After all, once they defeated the Heartless he could go after Serah and explain everything. Sora gripped his Keyblade tight, thought of Kairi, and flew up high in the air with Donald and Goofy behind him. The bird stretched its wings and took flight as well. In the air, Sora, Donald, and Goofy took the Heartless bird head on. It flapped its wing, creating a gust of air that threw the trio backwards. Donald quickly casted a wind spell around the three of them for extra protection. They pushed themselves forward to charge the bird.

On the ground Hook had drawn his sword and was dueling Peter Pan. Hook was an expert swordsman, able to block all of Peter Pan's attacks. But Peter Pan had the advantage of flight and was able to fly over Hook's head and stab him in the rear. This made Hook angry whose attacks came harder now.

King Mickey and Oswald were fighting the hardest. The king was fast but Oswald could jump, making it difficult to land hits. Oswald would jump in the air then while coming down attack hard with his keyblade. King Mickey found himself in a defensive position most of the time, holding his Keyblade above his head to protect himself. The king changed tactics, running up the side of the wall, and then using the wall to launch himself in the air to meet Oswald. The two clashed in the air as they fell towards the ground.

Meanwhile, Tinker Bell sprinkled all the Lost Boys with pixie dust and they exited the cave quickly. Only Sora noticed this as everyone else was too busy fighting. The Heartless bird was coming back towards him, attacking with its beak. Donald cast a Gravity spells on one of its wings causing it to crash into the side of the cave. Goofy moved it to attack it. But the Heartless Bird quickly recovered and was back in the air. The chest it was holding in its talons opened and coins began flying out of it.

Hook had Peter Pan backed into a corner. He was about to deliver the final blow when one of the coins hit Hook in the back of the head. As he turned around to see what hit him, Peter Pan took this chance to get back in the air and attack Hook. Peter Pan was able to disarm Hook who retaliated by pulling out a birthday present that was ticking and throwing it at Peter Pan. Peter Pan flew just in time before the present exploded in midair.

Oswald was now using his Keyblade to shoot balls of darkness at King Mickey. Using his own Keyblade, King Mickey deflected them then charged in towards Oswald. But once again, Oswald jumped into the air over the king's head and landed behind him. Oswald got a hit in causing the king to fall to his knees. Oswald moved in but King Mickey held his Keyblade up and a bright light shinned from it blinding Oswald. King Mickey got back on his feet and began another attack on Oswald.

The storm of coins coming from the Heartless Bird's chest had forced Sora, Donald, and Goofy to the ground. The Heartless Bird was moving in towards them but they couldn't see this through all the coins.

The bird screeched loudly in pain. The coins stopped flying, allowing Sora, Donald, and Goofy to see something had struck the bird's right wing. It looked like an arrow. Then another arrow came out of nowhere hitting the bird's other wing. Looking around the cave, Sora saw Serah and the lost boys standing on a ledge high up in the cave. Serah was wielding a large pink bow while the Lost Boys each held sling shots.

The Heartless Bird began falling but before it could hit the ground, Sora flew up into the air and struck it hard with his Keyblade causing it to fade into darkness.

"Are you okay?" shouted Serah.

"We are now, thanks to you! Nice shooting!" Sora shouted back.

"Thanks! I think Peter needs help!" Serah yelled.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy flew fast to where Peter Pan was. Hook was bombarding him with exploding birthday presents. Donald cast a fire spell behind Hook to set his coat on fire. Once Hook realized this, he began jumping in place trying to put it out. Sora flew in hitting him hard with the keyblade, throwing him out the cave entrance and into the ocean outside.

Sora and Peter ran outside but saw they didn't need to worry about Hook anymore. Swimming towards him was a crocodile that was making a ticking sound. It was the same crocodile that took Hook's hand and swallowed an alarm clock at the same time. Hook was deathly afraid of it and when he saw it, began to swim away for dear life. With Hook out of the way, Sora and Peter Pan returned to inside the cave.

The only fighting left was between King Mickey and Oswald. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Peter Pan, Serah and the Lost Boys watched the match that had no clear winner. King Mickey looked around and saw that both the Heartless and Hook were gone.

"You're all alone now Oswald! Let's stop this and talk!" yelled King Mickey.

"I've been alone for a very long time thanks to you! But now my luck's looking up and yours is looking low," Oswald shouted back.

"That's enough Oswald! Xehanort lied to you! The king didn't do any of the things you think he did. None of us even knew about you until Master Yen Sid sensed your presence!" Sora yelled.

Something Sora said seemed to catch Oswald off guard because he stopped hopping around and lowered his keyblade which allowed King Mickey to move in and strike. Oswald fell to the ground without making a sound while King Mickey stood over him.

"Sora's right Oswald. My Master Yen Sid sensed your presence and thought you were Xehanort. So he sent Sora, Donald, and Goofy to find him not realizing the presence he was sensing was you. How about we all go back and see Master Yen Sid together and figure things out," King Mickey said sincerely.

Oswald was still lying on the ground not making a sound. He was still holding on tightly to his keyblade. His ears began to twitch then he got back on his feet. This was the angriest Sora had ever seen him before.

"Your master…YOUR MASTER?! You mean MY MASTER! Master Yen Sid was my master before you took him away from me! You wanted what I had and took it away from me!" yelled Oswald.

Everyone gasped. Oswald's master before Xehanort was Yen Sid? That couldn't be true. It didn't make any sense. Master Yen Sid never mentioned having another student before King Mickey. Was this another lie Xehanort had told Oswald?

"You were…an apprentice to Master Yen Sid?" gasped King Mickey.

"Stop acting all surprised! You already knew that!" shouted Oswald.

But King Mickey shook his head slowly. Oswald's anger disappeared and turned to surprise. He looked around the cave at everyone then looked down at his keyblade.

"Did he…lie to me?" quivered Oswald.

King Mickey tried move closer to Oswald but instead Oswald swung his keyblade at him.

"I…get it now. But…how could he?" Oswald muttered quietly.

"Oswald…are you ok?" asked Sora.

Oswald became very angry again then hopped backwards towards the very back of the cave. He was shaking and his ears were twitching violently. He seemed to be listening for something.

"I'll deal with all of you later. But first I think it's time to visit an old friend. The next time you see me, you're luck will run out," said Oswald seriously. He then disappeared into the darkness.

Everyone returned to Peter Pan's hideout to recover. Donald cast his cure spell several times on everyone to heal up. There was silence all around as no one knew what to say after everything that had happened. Peter Pan however was cheerful.

"Not only did we take care of Hook, but we also took down that Heartless and rabbit! A great day indeed!" he said happily.

"But where did Oswald go?" pondered King Mickey.

Sora wasn't sure what to say to the king. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact Oswald was once an apprentice to Yen Sid before the King was. So why was he an apprentice to Xehanort now? Why did Yen Sid not mention any of this?

Sora looked over and saw Serah sitting with the Lost Boys going over the events of the day. Nothing had been said since the truth came out about Lightning and Oswald. Sora got up and walked over towards her. The Lost Boys became quiet as he stood next to Serah.

"Listen Serah, about what Oswald said…well, I'm sorry you heard it from him and not me," he said.

"So it was true then?" said Serah quietly.

"Yeah. Oswald told Lightning he would help her find you if she helped him defeat us. But at the coliseum, she realized he was trouble and helped us defeat him. I was telling the truth when I said she was worried about you and would do anything to find you," explained Sora.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" asked Serah.

"We didn't want to upset you. You were so happy to find out she was okay, it didn't seem like the right time to tell you she had been tricked," answered Sora.

Serah giggled. "Lightning always thought no one could fool her. Yet she had no idea about me dating Snow. She got mad when we announced our engagement. I know she was trying to look out for me, but she just didn't understand. I'm sure that was her thinking when she agreed to help Oswald."

"So are we ok then?" asked Sora.

"Of course. Thank you Sora."

Donald and Goofy walked over to Sora's side.

"You were great with the bow," said Donald.

"Yep, we sure we're lucky to have ya helping us," said Goofy.

"The Lost Boys help me make it. After I left, they came to find me and convince me to come back and help. I'm glad I did," said Serah with a smile.

Now King Mickey came over smiling really big. "Thank you for all your help Serah."

"You're welcome your majesty. But Oswald…he seemed really trouble. He doesn't know what the truth is. I wish we could help him somehow," said Serah.

"Me too. Maybe Master Yen Sid…" King Mickey began to say but he stopped talking and began to look horrified. Everyone crowded around him wondering what was up.

"Oswald said he was going to visit an old friend…and I think he meant Master Yen Sid!" gasped King Mickey.

Everyone gasped too. It made sense. If Yen Sid was once Oswald's master, it would make sense he would go to him for answers about everything. But if Oswald was going after Yen Sid at his tower then that meant everyone there might be in danger…

"Kairi! She's in danger too!" said Sora.

"We need to get back to the tower right away!" said King Mickey.

Kairi was in danger. That's all Sora could think about. He couldn't risk losing her for a third time. They had to get back to the tower right away and protect her from Oswald.

"Sorry to run Peter, but there are more people in danger!" said Sora.

"Go on then! But don't forget, when you rescue Kairi to bring her back here to Neverland so she can fly," said Peter Pan.

The last time they were here, Peter Pan had told Sora the same thing and he hadn't forgotten. He knew Kairi would never believe him about flying so he wanted to bring her to Neverland so she could fly for herself and he would be right beside her.

"Thanks Peter!" said Sora.

Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys all gave their goodbyes to the group as well.

King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy ran out of the tree and Sora was about to follow them when he remembered something. He turned back towards Serah.

"If you come with us, we can look for Lightning once we deal with Oswald," said Sora.

But Serah shook her head. "I'm not quite ready to grow up yet. But when I do, Peter will take me back and I'll find Lightning."

Sora nodded his head. "Serah, thank you. Good luck."

"You too Sora. I hope you find Kairi. When you do and if your heart says it's time, tell her how you feel. Then come visit Lightning, Snow, and I in Cocoon."

"Promise," said Sora with a thumb up.

He exited the hideout to catch up with the others. Sora ran through the jungle path they had followed earlier. He made it back to the Gummi Ship where the others were waiting. The ship was all ready to go and set on course to the Mysterious Tower. King Mickey looked at Sora.

"She's not ready to leave, is she?" asked King Mickey.

Sora shook his head.

"When the time is right, her heart will guide her," added King Mickey.

Sora nodded then took his seat. Donald and Goofy prepared the ship for takeoff from Neverland. The Gummi Ship began to lift up slowly into the sky. As it did, everyone could hear something outside. Goofy opened the glass dome of the cockpit to get a better listen. Then they heard something very familiar…

_Make my wish come true, let darkness slip aside _

_Hiding all our hope, mocking what we treasure _

_Battles we can win, if we believe our souls _

_Hang in for the light, till dawn _

_Fate will not leave you, hate will not heal you _

_Pray and one day, peace shall flow everywhere _

As they looked down on Neverland, they could see Serah, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and the Lost Boys flying up to wave good bye to them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy all waved back for as long as they could see them and even afterwards.

They left Neverland and plotted a course for Mysterious Tower. With no communications systems, they had no way to contact anyone to warn Yen Sid and everyone else at Mysterious Tower that they were in danger from Oswald. They ship sped into the Sea of Skies as fast as it would allow with Sora's thought only on Kairi's safety.

**Mysterious Tower**

Kairi was standing on the edge outside the Mysterious Tower looking up at the stars above her twinkling. She continued to wonder where Sora was in the vast sea of them. Yen Sid still had not heard from either Sora or King Mickey. Had Xehanort or someone else gotten to them? No, neither of them would be defeated so easily. Besides, her heart was telling her he was okay even though he was lost.

Something was flashing behind her high in the tower. Kairi turned around to see a light flashing from the upper most window of the tower; Master Yen Sid's study. It was Yen Sid's say of telling her to return to his study. Excited at the idea it may be news on Sora, Kairi quickly ran inside, up the stairs, and into Master Yen Sid's study. He was sitting at his desk smiling at her.

"I have located Mickey and it would seem Sora, Donald, and Goofy are with him safe and sound," said Yen Sid happily.

Kairi smiled brightly. "I'm so happy! But wait what about the dark presence they are chasing?"

Yen Sid's expression became serious. "I sensed it briefly in the world they were in but it quickly disappeared. I am sorry to say I do not know where the presence has gone. If Sora, Mickey, and the others do not know either then they will most likely return here to the tower."

Kairi this time tried to hide her enthusiasm. It was terrible that the dark presence had gotten away but she was happier to hear that Sora was coming back to the tower where hopefully this time they could see each other. Kairi had so much she wanted to tell him…

Yen Sid suddenly sat straight up with a worried expression on his face. He looked around the room in a worried fashion. Kairi wasn't sure what was going on but something was wrong…

"Kairi, hide in the other room," said Yen Sid very seriously.

"Master, what is…?"

"The dark presence. It's here. Hide in the other room and no matter what do not come out," said Yen Sed sternly.

Kairi nodded her head and retreated to the room she had been training in so much. She shut the door, and then kneeled down to look through the keyhole. Yen Sid was now standing up behind his desk looking straight ahead.

"I know you're here. Whoever you are, come out and show yourself," said Yen Sid.

Right on a cue, a corridor of darkness appeared in the room. Kairi watched through the keyhole a small figure appeared out of the portal. This figure was wearing the same cloak as members of Organization XIII wore. Along with being short, almost the same height as King Mickey, this figure had big long ears sticking out from underneath his hood. The corridor of darkness disappeared behind the figure as he faced Yen Sid.

"So, you are the dark presence I have been sensing all this time. Who are you and what is your connection to Master Xehanort?" asked Yen Sid seriously.

The figure chuckled evilly. "Oh come on now master, you don't recognize your old pupil? Here, maybe this will help." He lowered his hood to reveal his face.

Yen Sid gasped loudly when he saw the face beneath the hood. It was a rabbit which explained the long ears. His face was mainly white except his ears which were black. His eyes were also black and oval in shape and they had a lot of anger behind them.

"It…it is you Oswald," gasped Yen Sid. Kairi had never seen him at a loss for words before.

"Wow, you actually remember my name! Too bad it's too little, too late," said Oswald angrily.

He held out his right hand and to Kairi's surprise, he summoned a Keyblade in his hand. It looked exactly like Sora's and King Mickey's except the colors were different. Oswald's Keyblade was gray and black mostly. The keychain that was King Mickey's emblem had a strange eye symbol in the middle of it. Oswald held the Keyblade up Yen Sid face who did not move from behind his desk.

"Your Keyblade…" said Yen Sid.

"Looks a little different since the last time you saw me wasn't it? Now when was that? Oh, that's right! Right after the destruction of my world! Let's talk about that," said Oswald.

He was slowly walking towards Yen Sid with his Keyblade getting closer and closer to his face. Kairi remained frozen in place watching and listening to everything that was happening. She didn't know what she could do.

"Oswald, where have been all this time?" asked Yen Sid. His voice was still a bit shaky but he was slowly getting his composure back.

"That's an interesting story Yen Sid. Why don't I take you back to the beginning? It was right after the destruction of my home world. You remember that don't you old man? Your new apprentice had just destroyed my world and then Master Xehanort took me in. He trained me and only me. We were going to stop your apprentice once and for all. But then he had to go on a secret mission. Something about finding an evil fairy named Maleficent. He said it was best I stay hidden. So I did hide, in solitude, in the Keyblade Graveyard for years, decades. Mater Xehanort made it very clear I stay hidden even if something happened to him. And it did. I saw it eleven years ago, three Keyblade wielders and your apprentice fighting Master Xehanort. I remember seeing the flash of light and Master Xehanort was gone. I couldn't sense him anymore. But I followed his instructions and continued to hide until I sensed his return to the Realm of Light. Now he is back and I will find him. But before I do, I think it would be awfully nice if I got rid of your apprentice once and for all first. That's what I thought at first anyway," explained Oswald.

"Oswald…" began Yen Sid.

"Then I met Mickey and his students. They had some really interesting to stuff to say Yen Sid. Do you know what they told me?" asked Oswald.

"They had no idea about your existence. What could they have possibly told you?" asked Yen Sid.

Oswald chuckled. "You know, all that time I spent by myself I always wondered something. I never met your new apprentice before my world was destroyed. So what reason would he have to destroy my world? I always figured he was just jealous of me. He wanted me out of the way so you could devote all your attention to him. But then I realized he truly didn't know who I was or that I even existed, just like everyone else. Then he and that kid told me, it was you who sensed my presence and sent them out to look for me. Do you see where I'm going with this Yen Sid?"

"Oswald, this is all my fault…" began Yen Sid.

Oswald hopped up onto Yen Sid's desk. "It was you old man who destroyed my home world!"

Kairi had to hold her hand over her mouth to keep herself from gasping. Master Yen Sid destroy a world? It couldn't be true. The 'kid' that Oswald just mentioned. Did he mean Sora…?

"Everything makes sense now. You were more interested in training that mouse then you were me. So you thought you could get rid of me by destroying my world! Nobody would remember me or come looking for me! But Master Xehanort did! He saved me and trained me before he had to run off and deal with you and your new apprentice! He must have told me it was your new apprentice so I would take care of him while he dealt with you. It's your fault my world is gone and it's your fault I was left alone for all those years with no one!" cried Oswald. He was shaking with fury and Kairi thought she saw tears forming in Oswald's eyes.

"Oswald…the destruction of your world was indeed my fault by accident. That is why I gave up my Keyblade and masterhood. I thought you had been destroyed along with your world. Had I known you had survived I would have searched for you and told you how very sorry I am. But Master Xehanort has been filling your head with lies about Mickey. Please let us talk and then I will try to begin to make up to you what I have done," pleaded Yen Sid.

"It's too late for that old man. Once I deal with you, I'm going after your new apprentice and his students. I'll destroy all your worlds, and then leave you all to rot in their remains so all of you understand what crushing loneliness feels like. No amount of luck in the worlds can save any of you now," said Oswald seriously.

Oswald began to raise his Keyblade to strike Yen Sid. Kairi couldn't take it anymore. She stood up, pushed the door open, and then summoned a Keyblade in her hand. Kairi's Keyblade was orange and red in color, resembling a sunset on the islands where she, Sora, and Riku called home. The guard was shaped like a heart, half of it white to look like clouds and the other half blue to look like the sea. The teeth of the key were covered in various colored flowers.

Oswald stopped then turned around to face Kairi. He looked at her face, down at her Keyblade, then at her face again. His expression was very surprised. Kairi was feeling very brave right now. She would not allow Oswald to hurt Yen Sid or any of her friends.

"Leave him alone!" Kairi shouted.

"What?! Do they just hand out keyblades to anyone these days?" cried Oswald annoyed.

"Kairi! Stand down!" demanded Yen Sid.

Oswald hopped down from Yen Sid's desk as he continued to stare at Kairi. After a few seconds, an evil smile appeared on Oswald's face.

"It's you isn't it? The one who's so special to that kid. You're the one who gave him that piece of junk he carries around and loves so much."

Kairi gasped. "What did you do to Sora?" she asked angrily.

"I've been trying to get rid of him but he just refuses to quit. But I bet taking you down would weaken his fighting spirit," said Oswald evilly.

Without warning Oswald jumped towards Kairi with his Keyblade out. Kairi went into a defensive stance with her Keyblade out in front to defend herself. Their Keyblades clashed and it was all Kairi could do to not fall to her knees. She had only been in a fight once with her Keyblade and that time she had help from Riku. But now she was on her own fighting someone who trained under Master Xehanort.

"Sora…I need your strength…" said Kairi under her breath.

With all her heart she called out to Sora. Even though he wasn't there right next to her, he was still with her always in her heart. She could feel him in heart as she stood her ground while Oswald tried to break her defensive stance. She thought to all the times she had seen him fight. She thought of her training under Yen Sid.

From within her heart she could hear Sora say "Kairi, I believe in you! You can do this!"

She swung her Keyblade hard and sent Oswald flying across the room and slamming into the wall. He fell hard to the ground but quickly got back up.

"So you have some fight in you huh? Ok then, bring it on," said Oswald.

He hopped up into the air, spun around for a moment, and then began to fall towards Kairi. She was ready this time. She struck in the air with her Keyblade, clashing with Oswald's. He landed on the floor and began to attack her. Kairi attacked back, parrying Oswald's attacks.

Oswald jumped into the air again, this time going over Kairi's head and landing behind her. Kairi did not have enough time to react before Oswald struck her in the back with his Keyblade. She fell onto the ground but kept a tight grip on her Keyblade.

Oswald hopped into the air once again and fell towards Kairi with his keyblade aimed down at her. Kairi was still on the floor face down but once she saw Oswald's shadow she quickly turned around and aimed her Keyblade him.

"Blizzard!" Kairi cried.

An ice ball formed at the tip of her Keyblade and shot upward hitting Oswald straight in the chest while he was still airborne. He fell onto the floor covered in snow. Kairi took this opportunity to get back on her feet and charge Oswald. She landed a direct hit.

Oswald was now completely unfrozen so he attacked her back. Once again Kairi was able to parry his attack. So Oswald launched himself into the air once again but this time Kairi was ready and knew what to expect. She also jumped into the air and struck Oswald hard. He was caught off guard and unable to recover before he hit the ground.

"Oswald was it? Let's stop this and talk things out," said Kairi.

Oswald slowly got to his feet but it was clear he was tiring out already. All that time alone meant he never had a chance to fight other Keyblade wielders so he looked like a mere novice even compared to Kairi. Master Xehanort had only trained him to fight King Mickey after all.

"There's nothing left to talk about. My luck hasn't run out yet," Oswald answered while desperately trying to catch his breath.

He held us Keyblade out and charged Kairi. She stood her position once again seeking strength from within her heart. She waited for the right moment when Oswald was close. She swung her Keyblade at the right time hitting Oswald causing him to hit Yen Sid's desk and the floor. His Keyblade fell out of his hand and skidded across the floor.

Kairi didn't move incase Oswald got back up but he continued to lie on the ground. Yen Sid, who had been watching the fight from behind his desk, slowly emerged.

"Kairi, are you all right?" asked Yen Sid.

"I think so," Kairi answered.

She started to move towards Oswald when she heard something coming up the tower stairs. Kairi turned around just as the door burst open. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey came barging in. While King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy looked around the room Sora looked directly at Kairi.

"Kairi!" cried Sora happily.

"Sora!" said Kairi happily.

Oswald's ears began to twitch, and then he jumped to live. He landed right next to Kairi, grabbed her arm, held out his other arm to summon his Keyblade back to him, and opened a corridor of darkness behind him. He slowly forced Kairi in while he followed. Darkness began to engulf her senses.

"NO! KAIRI!" she heard Sora yell.

"Have Yen Sid tell you the truth then meet me where my luck ended!" shouted Oswald.

Oswald entered the corridor of darkness with her. Before darkness completely took over, she saw Sora running towards them. But she could no longer see him as Oswald closed the corridor and led her down a dark path behind them.

Sora fell to his knees where Oswald had summoned the corridor of darkness. Kairi was gone. She had been taken away again for a third time. If only they had stopped Oswald back in Neverland, this would have been all over.

"Sora…" said Goofy quietly.

"She's gone…Oswald took her," said Sora hanging his head, trying to fight back tears.

"We'll get her back," said Donald sincerely.

King Mickey walked over to Yen Sid who was staring at the spot where Oswald had fallen at the end of his battle with Kairi.

"Master Yen Sid, what is going on? Oswald said he was your apprentice and he thinks I destroyed his world," asked King Mickey.

"He was my apprentice once before you Mickey and I was the one who destroyed his world," said Yen Sid grimly.

Sora jerked his head up at what Yen Sid said while King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy gasped. Yen Sid slowly sat down at his desk. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey walked over to his desk.

"Master Yen Sid, please tell us what is going on! Kairi's in trouble and we still don't know the truth about Oswald!" pleaded Sora.

Master Yen Sid sighed then stroked his beard for a moment. Then he began to speak.

"Many years ago, I was once a Keyblade master and just like most Keyblade masters I took on an apprentice to past down my wisdom to. I traveled many worlds before I found him; Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a very resourceful being with a very strong heart. His world was much like yours once was Mickey. Simple, black and white, and filled with adventure. Oswald was filled with light, one made even powerful when he was around his friends. I saw much potential in him so I approached him and offered to train him in the ways of the Keyblade. He saw the Keyblade as a way to protect his friends and others so he accepted. As I expected, Oswald was very talented with the Keyblade. We trained outside of his world and I was very impressed with how quickly he was progressing."

"Garwsh Master Yen Sid, sounds like everything was ok to me. Did something happen?" asked Goofy.

Yen nodded his head. "One day Oswald asked to take a break from his training and visit his home world. He was missing his friends. I allowed it but shortly after he left I sensed darkness in his world. I knew that he was not yet ready to face the darkness by himself so I immediately went to his home world. When I got there, the world was engulfed in darkness. I could not find Oswald or any of his friends anywhere. I tried my best to save his world but this darkness was far too strong. I watched as the world was destroyed by the darkness and I had assumed Oswald suffered the same fate."

It was silent in the room. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all looked horrified. Sora didn't know what to say. He remembered when his world was destroyed by the darkness a year ago and he was separated from Riku and Kairi. He knew how Oswald felt, losing his home and his friends.

"I had failed to save Oswald and his world so I gave up my Keyblade and master hood as I was not deserving of the title. But I still wanted to pass down my knowledge to someone else to take my place. That is when I found you Mickey, a simple dock hand who went to great lengths to protect others. In a way, I suppose I wanted to make for my failures towards Oswald but I have failed there as well," explained Yen Sid.

King Mickey spoke. "But Master, you didn't really destroy his world. The darkness did! Master Xehanort lied to him about that and a bunch of other stuff!"

"Yeah, is all Xehanort's fault like always!" said Donald.

"Master Xehanort must have found Oswald and took him as his apprentice. But if what Oswald says is true, why did he abandon him in the Keyblade Graveyard?" questioned Yen Sid.

"Maybe this will help," said Sora.

He pulled out the reports of Xehanort's Red XIII had given him in Deep Jungle. Yen Sid held the reports in his hands and studied them carefully. When he was finished reading them, he threw them on the table surprising everyone.

"I should have known. Oswald's anger and sadness over his world being destroyed must have unleashed a powerful darkness from within his heart. So Xehanort took advantage of it and brought him in as his apprentice, hoping Oswald would show the same kind of power under his teachings. I am also willing to suspect he hoped Oswald would serve as a dark version of you Mickey for his needs. But when Oswald failed to yield the results he hoped for, Xehanort left him forgotten in the Keyblade Graveyard," said Yen angrily.

Everyone was a bit scared as they had never seen Yen Sid so angry before, but they understood why. In the end, Oswald was just another experiment to Xehanort and when it failed he threw him away. But Oswald saw Xehanort as his savor; he was blinded to the truth.

"But how do I fit into all of this?" asked King Mickey?

"The report indicates that Xehanort believed the way to get Oswald to unleash his great power was through jealously. He and Oswald must have spied on us over the years during not only our training but your growth as a king. Oswald saw everything you had because you were my apprentice and it made him jealous of you and everything you had which I do not need to remind anyone is an open invitation for darkness to invade one's heart," answered Yen Sid.

"Gosh, so Oswald is jealous of me? I guess I can understand why. I still have my home world that I am king of, live in a huge castle with all my friends," said King Mickey sadly.

"I believe Xehanort was also planning to use Oswald to take you out when the time was right. It would explain where Oswald got the idea that you destroyed his world. Xehanort's plans to take over Kingdom Hearts would be foiled if you are around to stop him. He knew how powerful you were back then Mickey as I did and I believe Oswald was his answer for getting you out of his way," added Yen Sid.

"All I'm hearing is that Xehanort lied to Oswald about everything and he doesn't know it. We need to find him and tell him. Then he release Kairi!" said Sora.

"It's not the simple Sora. Oswald's heart is filled with decades of anger and jealously that it will take much more to make him see the light as he once did. I believe Oswald can be saved," explained Yen Sid.

"I believe he can be saved too Master Yen Sid. Once he sees the light again, I'll help him. Why he can live in the castle and continue his keyblade training under a real master," said King Mickey excitedly.

"But we don't know where he is your majesty," said Goofy.

"I do. He has taken Kairi to the ruins of his home world. He is waiting for you four there. Be careful and well prepared. I do not know what he is planning," warned Yen Sid.

"We will and don't worry Master Yen Sid. We'll rescue him and Kairi!" said Sora confidently.

"I have faith in all of you. This is all my fault but if Oswald can be saved from the darkness in his heart, I will feel better knowing that is free," said Yen Sid.

Sora nodded his head as he; Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey leave the tower and board the Gummi Ship. Master Yen Sid gave them the coordinates to where Oswald's world used to be. The Gummi Ship roars to life and takes off from the Mysterious Tower. All Sora can think about is how Xehanort lied to Oswald all those years and because of it Kairi is now in danger. He pulls out her good luck charm from his pocket and holds it tightly to his heart. He can't lose her again. He remembers what Serah said back in Neverland about his heart having the words to tell her how he feels. They still haven't come to him yet.

"Please Kairi, just be okay."

The Gummi Ship travels deeper and deeper into the Sea of Skies.

**Sea of the Skies**

The coordinates Yen Sid gave them were deep into the Sea of Skies. It seemed to be the same area where Sora, Donald, and Goofy first fought Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem the Seeker of Darkness. Darkness was slowly creeping up all around them covering the stars in the sky. Luckily the Gummi Ship had plenty of weapons in case any Heartless ships crossed their paths.

Jiminy was going through his journal trying to find anything they may have missed during their adventure with Oswald. Yen Sid's story and Oswald's stories just didn't add up with each other. Yen Sid wouldn't lie to them and it was clear that Oswald had most likely been lied to by Master Xehanort.

"What are we missing?" Jiminy asked finally.

"You mean about Oswald?" asked Sora.

"Yes; things are just not adding up," answered Jiminy.

"We need more answers," said King Mickey.

"But we don't have time for that your majesty! Kairi is in trouble!" shouted Sora. Everyone was shocked to see Sora defying King Mickey but then again, Kairi was in danger.

"I understand Sora, but we can't just go in and fight Oswald without knowing the whole truth! Poor fella has been through a lot. And…" King Mickey couldn't finish the sentence.

"What's wrong your majesty?" asked Donald.

"It's just…I could have easily ended up in the same position as Oswald had it not been for Yen Sid. Alone for all those years with no friends and no home. Forgotten by everyone. Gosh fellas, I can't even imagine how that would affect someone's heart. No one should have to suffer any of that," said King Mickey sadly.

King Mickey was looking down at the floor sadly and no one knew what to say to him. The last time Sora saw the king this unhappy was when he thought Goofy had been taken from them during the Battle of Hollow Bastion.

"If I didn't have you guys by my side, I don't know what I would do. I could have easily ended up like Oswald," said King Mickey.

"You're majesty…I'm sorry. We will help Oswald, whatever it takes," said Sora confidently.

King Mickey gave a small smile. Then his eyes caught something on the ground. He got up and walked over to one of the instruments and reached underneath it. Everyone watched as King Mickey pulled out a piece of paper.

"What is that?" asked Jiminy?

King Mickey looked at it for a moment. "It's a page from Xehanort's Reports."

"Garwsh that must have fallen out from the others Sora got from Red XIII in Deep Jungle," said Goofy.

"What does it say your majesty?" asked Donald.

King Mickey began to read the report out loud for everyone to hear.

_My apprentice has failed me. Though I sense great power in him, he has yet to show it and is reluctant to attempt to use it. This project has been a failure. But how could it have failed? I continue to look back on how it all began._

_I remember first coming to his world and seeing him with another Keyblade master, Yen Sid. Even then I could sense the great potential for darkness he had. But it was being dampened by a very bright light. I knew it would take a great event for that darkness to come forth, maybe even a betrayal. _

_I waited until he was alone on his home world and I approached him. I appeared as a friend and told him he possessed an even greater power inside of him. One that his master would never allow him to use. He did not believe me at first, spouting his master's teachings. So I played to his doubts, which his master did not think him good enough to wield a Keyblade and the real reason he had allowed him to return here was to abandon him. The seed of doubt was planted. _

_Later that evening, I returned to his world in secret and found its keyhole. One small spark of darkness was all it took to cause the world to flood. I then made sure to find my soon to be apprentice and rescue him from the destruction of his world. As he watched his world fall into darkness along with its citizens, a great darkness erupted from his heart. Such power I had never seen before. So much anger and sadness. I took him on as my apprentice. _

_But since then I could never get him to unleash that level of power again. His darkness was born from jealously which itself is born from insecurity of one's self. I tried everything to get it to come out. I revealed to him that his former master had already taken on another apprentice, whom I said was responsible for the destruction of his home world, which did indeed increase the darkness in his heart but he would still not unleash it. _

_I decided to take a chance and allow him to spy his master training with his new apprentice. His jealously grew each time he spied on them and he saw everything he had. But again he would not unleash his darkness. I took it one step further and forced his Keyblade to change shape, to that of Yen Sid's new apprentice. This was the closest I came to seeing him unleash his darkness but still nothing. I had high hopes he could be of use to me in defeating Yen Sid's new apprentice._

_It is time to admit this project has been a failure and clean my hands of him. I have told him I have an important mission to undertake and I cannot allow him to come with me. It is for the best, I tell him, that he remains hidden in an isolated world until I return for him. He believes me and accepts. I shall leave him in the Keyblade Graveyard where eventually the creatures of darkness there will see to it he never sees the outside worlds again. Too much time has been wasted on him. I must move onto more important matters such as finding a way to extend my mortality. _

King Mickey crumbled the piece of paper in his hand then pocketed it. The last time Sora had seen him this angry was also when he thought he had lost Goofy. But Sora was also shaking with fury. How could anyone be so evil? He lied to Oswald and made Yen Sid believe it was his entire fault. And Oswald was suffering most of all. The truth had to be told to him. He had to be saved.

"Donald, Goofy, full steam ahead as fast as we can," said King Mickey seriously.

"You got it your majesty!" said Donald.

Donald and Goofy put the Gummi Ship into overdrive causing Sora to almost fall over from how fast they were going. The star outside appeared as small blips as they rocketed past them.

"Do you still think it's not too late to save Oswald?" asked Jiminy.

"We'll save him. We have to," said Sora confidently.

Everyone nodded their head in agreement. As they all looked out the window, they saw something in the distance; the dusty remains of a world long forgotten about. Darkness was still swirling around it giving it a very ominous feeling.

This was it; this was the site of their final battle. Whether it would be against Oswald or something else remained to be seen. One way or another they had to save Oswald from himself and Kairi as well. Everyone began to mentally prepare themselves as the Gummi Ship slowly descended down on the destroyed world.

**Oswald's Destroyed World **

Upon exiting the Gummi Ship, everyone took a moment to look upon the remains of the destroyed world. Broken down buildings littered what was left of the streets. Personal artifacts lied forgotten on the ground and trampled by years of neglect. Darkness was seeping out of the cracks in the world. Upon inspection, Heartless could be seen trying to escape these cracks.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey slowly walked down one of the visible streets. As they did, Sora called out for Kairi but King Mickey quickly hushed him.

"We don't want to get the Heartless all riled up," said King Mickey.

Sora apologized and they kept moving. All four of them looked around in every direction for any sign of trouble or Oswald. They had no idea where in this world he was or if he was planning on ambushing them. Seeing the destruction everywhere, Sora could understand why Oswald was so angry with everything and everyone. He worried more and more for Kairi's safety.

It was clear the world used be a large town. Sora suspected, given how old it was, it may have resembled King Mickey's home world back in its black and white days. Even in their destroyed state, Sora could make out which buildings used to be large and small. His thoughts turned to how many people were lost to the darkness when this world was destroyed. It just made him even madder at Master Xehanort for all the pain he brought Oswald.

Voices could be heard straight ahead of them. One of them sounded very much like Kairi. All four of them summoned their weapons, preparing for the worst. They quickly ran behind some rubble to look ahead on the road. They could see Kairi bound by darkness while Oswald paced back and forth in front of her.

"Once they arrive, I'll show Mickey what it's like to lose everything and everyone he cares about. We'll see how he likes being left alone for so long," said Oswald.

"Oswald, the King wants to help you. So does Sora. Please let us," said Kairi.

"Why would they want to help me? I'm nobody! They didn't even know I existed a few days ago! Why would they go out of their way to help me? Besides, after everything I did in those worlds…they'd be stupid to want to help me," Oswald said angrily.

"That's where you're wrong!"

King Mickey appeared out of the rubble and walked towards Oswald. Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed behind him. Kairi was relieved to see Sora as was he. Oswald turned around to face them and summoned his Keyblade.

"So, did old Yen Sid fill you in on everything?" asked Oswald.

"Yep and we need to talk about that," answered King Mickey.

Oswald laughed. "What's there to talk about? He gave up on me! Tried to get rid of me! Left me all alone! If it wasn't for Master Xehanort…"

"You're wrong!" shouted Donald.

"Xehanort lied to you Oswald. And we have proof!" said Sora.

King Mickey slowly pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and threw it at Oswald. The crumpled paper landed at his feet so he picked it up.

"What is this?" demanded Oswald.

"The truth Oswald. The truth about what Xehanort really thought of you," answered King Mickey.

"Read it and see for yourself," said Goofy.

Oswald was suspicious but he uncrumpled the paper and began to read it. From behind him, Kairi also read the report over his shoulder. She finished reading it before he did and gasped in horror what was written. As Oswald read it, his expression began to fall. Angrily he threw it on the ground and attacked it with his Keyblade.

"LIES! You made this up!" shouted Oswald! He was trembling with fear.

"No Oswald, it was with the reports Red XIII gave us from Xehanort. You were nothing but an experiment to him. He didn't really care about you. He destroyed your world hoping you would give into the darkness," explained Sora.

"But you know what Oswald? All the reports said you didn't and deep down I think it's because you knew darkness wasn't the answer. I think you knew Xehanort was lying to you all along," said King Mickey.

Oswald screamed loudly causing Heartless to appear around all of them. "How dare you try to tell me how I think and feel? You have no right! How could even know how I feel?! You have everything that I don't!"

"Oswald, I can give you a home. I can help get you whatever you need…" King Mickey began to say but Oswald cut him off.

"You don't get it! I don't want your castle, your things, or your title! What I want more than anything is to not be forgotten or alone! All my friends taken away from me, leaving no one to remember me, no one to miss me, no one to care about me! But how could you get it? You have friends and loved ones who remember you, who would miss you, and care about you. You don't know what loneliness is!" shouted Oswald with tears in his eyes.

Even with the threat of Heartless all around them, no one moved or said anything. Oswald had gotten to all of them and they knew once for all how none of this was his fault or his doing.

"But it doesn't matter now because once I finish off the rest of you, I'm going to take everything away from you Mickey and then maybe you'll have the smallest understanding of what I've been through!" said Oswald. He motioned for the Heartless to attack.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy attacked the Heartless while King Mickey went for Oswald. All the anger he was feeling was fueling the darkness in his heart and making him a much more difficult opponent for King Mickey.

While they fought the Heartless, Sora noticed a small squad moving in on Kairi who was still trapped. Sora aimed his Keyblade at her, a beam of light shot out, and freed her. Kairi summoned her Keyblade and joined the fray.

For the first time ever, Sora and Kairi were fighting side by side. Sora was impressed with the skills she had acquired in the short time she had been training with Yen Sid. She was holding up very well and slaying Heartless left and right. Sora got distracted a few times watching her fight but luckily Donald and Goofy were there to remind him to keep his head in the battle.

King Mickey and Oswald were locked deep in battle. Oswald was putting up much more of a fight this time. His attacks were hard and hit fast leaving little to no room for King Mickey to attack back. Darkness was slowly pouring out of Oswald. At times it seemed there was two of him fighting King Mickey.

"Oswald! The darkness!" shouted King Mickey!

"Why so surprised? You took away all my light!" yelled Oswald.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi continued to fight the remaining Heartless. These Heartless were the strongest they had faced yet on their journey and they wouldn't let up. Donald was casting his most powerful spells just to keep them at bay while Goofy unleashed powerful attacks with his shield. Sora and Kairi were fighting together to take down one especially large Heartless.

"Kairi…you're really good," said Sora in-between attacks.

"Thanks. I learned a lot from watching you," Kairi answered.

"I really missed you," said Sora.

"I missed you too," said Kairi.

The Heartless army was defeated so the four warriors ran over to where King Mickey and Oswald were battling. It wasn't looking good. King Mickey was getting really tired out and Oswald was not letting up on his attacks.

"Every time I see my Keyblade, I'm reminded of you. When I'm reminded of you, I get so angry and everything you have and took from me! Now I'm going to return the favor!" said Oswald in a scary voice.

King Mickey was now on his knees and about to be finished off but Sora chucked his Keyblade hard to throw Oswald off balance. He turned to Sora and looked at him with pure rage.

"I think it's about time I deal with you personally once and for all!" he growled.

Donald and Goofy rushed to King Mickey's aid while Sora and Kairi readied themselves as Oswald attacked them. Sora wasn't prepared well for Oswald so he dodged his first few attacks. Kairi, having already faced him once, was able to land a few attacks on him. Even two against one, Oswald proved to be a difficult opponent. Using the power of darkness gave him all new abilities to fight with.

Oswald hopped into the air, and then used his Keyblade to rain down spears of darkness. Kairi was quick to cast a wind spell to shield herself and Sora from the attack. When the attack was done, Oswald landed and took on Sora. This time Sora was able parry some of Oswald's attacks then strike back.

Oswald leaped into the air once again but this time he was completely covered in darkness. When he landed, it caused small earthquakes around him. He continued to hop around; each time he landed triggered a tremor. Both Sora and Kairi jumped into the air each time trying their best to avoid the quakes. Kairi timed one of her jumps right and attacked Oswald sending him to the ground where Sora continued the assault.

Oswald was tiring out but it seemed he still had one trick left. Emerging himself in darkness he disappeared into the ground. Sora and Kairi cautiously moved around trying to figure out where he would appear. Oswald appeared out of the ground, grabbed Kairi as he shot upward, and threw her hard towards the ground. Sora ran as fast as his legs would allow getting underneath Kairi and catching her.

As both Sora and Kairi got back on their feet, Oswald disappeared into the ground again but this time they had a plan. Sora summoned as much light as he could at the tip of his Keyblade and planted it hard into the ground. Fissures of light erupted all over, one of them shooting Oswald up. Kairi ran up and attacked him hard sending him flying towards Sora. With light still radiating from his Keyblade, Sora directed it all towards Oswald. Strings of light flew out and hit Oswald all over his body. He fell hard onto the ground.

Sora and Kairi stood still for a moment before it was clear Oswald was defeated. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy slowly walked over to where Oswald laid. The sound of soft crying could be heard coming from him as he laid face down on the ground.

"Oswald…it's over now. Please, let us help you," said Kairi.

"You can come back with us to Master Yen Sid and start over. You won't ever be forgotten about again," said King Mickey.

Darkness was steaming off Oswald causing everyone to take a step back. Oswald was floating in the air and he looked scared.

"Wha…what's happening?" he asked.

Darkness was now concentrating around Oswald's heart and growing bigger in size.

"What's going on?" asked Sora.

"Is this…the power Master Xehanort witnessed?" gasped King Mickey.

Oswald was floating higher and higher in the air then becoming completely consumed by darkness. Now the darkness was beginning to take shape. It sprouted hands, then legs, and finally a head with antennas. It was the Heartless Darkside that Sora once saw destroy his own world.

Oswald fell to the ground unconscious. The darkness had shredded the cloak he was wearing revealing light blue pants underneath it. King Mickey ran over to try to revive Oswald but to no avail.

"Your majesty, you look over Oswald! We'll deal with this Heartless!" shouted Sora.

King Mickey nodded and dragged Oswald away from the upcoming battle.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi prepared themselves for this final battle against a familiar foe. Sora and Kairi attacked the Darkside's legs while Donald used spells to attack one arm and Goofy used his shield to attack the other. Darkside was so big in scale that their attacks seem to do almost no damage against it. When the attacks stopped, Darkside lowered its right hand to swipe at his attackers. All four of them were swiped off their feet and onto the ground.

"We need a different strategy!" cried Sora.

Darkside's hand was still near the ground so Sora and Kairi got to their feet to attack his hand. It still didn't seem to do much damage. Darkside lifted his hand into the air and then slammed it onto the ground. Kairi was able to push Sora out of the way before he was hit but she took the full brunt of the attack.

"KAIRI!" shouted Sora.

Kairi was lying on the ground trying not to black out. Sora ran to her aid and carried her away before Darkside attacked again. Donald cast Cure on her just in time.

"Kairi, are you ok?" Sora asked worried.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you ok Sora?" asked Kairi weakly.

"Yeah, no worries," said Sora trying to sound confident.

Meanwhile, Oswald was finally coming around as King Mickey held him in his arms.

"Gosh, are you okay Oswald?" asked King Mickey.

Oswald finally opened his eyes but looked at King Mickey very confused. "Why…why are you helping me? Why do you care?"

"Gee Oswald, I know it's been a long time since you've been around people so let me explain it to ya. Friends help each other out, no matter what. You're not alone anymore. You have friends. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and me too," explained King Mickey.

"But even after everything I've done…" said Oswald sadly.

"Xehanort lied to you Oswald then left you all alone. That wasn't your fault. I mean, I can't even imagine how horrible it was for you to be alone for all those years with no one to talk to, no one to care about you, and no one to be your friend. I'm going to make sure that never happens again!" said King Mickey happily.

"Mickey…thank you," said Oswald with tears in his eyes. One of the tears fell onto his Keyblade and then it began to glow.

A bright light was emitting from Oswald's Keyblade. Brighter and brighter the light became until it engulfed the Keyblade. The light was so bright, it even blinded Darkside. The sound of glass breaking echoed through the empty world then the light faded. Lying on the ground, Oswald's Keyblade had transformed because of the light. It was black and white but the guard was shaped like Oswald's head. The long ears formed the stem and at the end bent down to form the teeth. The keychain dangling behind was also shaped like Oswald's head.

"Is that…" gasped King Mickey.

"My…original keyblade. The one I received from Yen Sid," said Oswald happily.

He hopped onto his feet and picked up the Keyblade. There was no more darkness coming from him. Even far away, Sora could sense a pure light emitting from Oswald. He was smiling bright, probably for the first time in years. King Mickey patted him on the shoulder.

"Whata say Oswald? Should we finish this?" asked King Mickey.

"Yeah!" nodded Oswald.

Standing side by side, King Mickey and Oswald charged into the battle. Both were extremely fast so Darkside didn't have a chance to react when both began attacking him at once. King Mickey attacked his legs while Oswald jumped up and attacked his arms.

Kairi was back on her feet and ready to fight once again. She and Sora charged back into battle while Donald and Goofy stayed behind to provide support. Donald launched fireballs at Darkside's face to keep him distracted. Anytime Darkside tried to move its hand for an attack, Goofy flung his shield full force to knock it back.

Darkside looked to be taking some damage from the onslaught. Sora and Kairi attacked his legs to the point that he fell down on them. Now closer to the ground, King Mickey and Oswald ran up his arms and began attacking his head. Donald began to cast shields on everyone while Goofy spun around to do extra damage.

Finally Darkside fell on his back and everyone moved away, except for Oswald. He took one giant leap into the air and aimed his Keyblade straight at Darkside's chest. A beam of light shot from Oswald's Keyblade and hit Darkside directly. The sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the world. Darkside began to break apart into pieces, each of these pieces disappearing into the light. Darkside was no more.

Oswald landed on the ground where Darkside once was. He looked around his destroyed for a moment then turned around to face the others. Sora, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and Kairi walked over to him. Oswald's smile from defeating Darkside disappeared and turned to sadness.

"You did it Oswald!" You beat it!" said Sora happily.

"You were great!" said Donald.

"Ah-yuk, you were pretty amazing," said Goofy.

"Oswald, are you ok?" asked Kairi gently.

Oswald was hanging his head, looking down at the ground not sure what to say. King Mickey walked up to him and gave him a hug. Oswald was surprised by this but then hugged him back. Tears were coming down his eyes.

"You conquered the darkness and now you're not alone anymore," said King Mickey.

Oswald said nothing, instead sobbed into King Mickey's shoulder. King Mickey continued to hug him, patting him on the back and simply saying "it's ok."

Donald and Goofy smiled at both of them. Sora and Kairi turned to look at each other, the fighting finally over. They smiled at each other, then without warning Sora ran over to hug Kairi tightly. He hadn't seen her in so long and now he never wanted to let go of her. Kairi hugged him back, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're okay," whispered Sora.

"I'm so happy that you're here," whispered Kairi.

Sora could see Donald smiling big at him and Goofy covering his eyes. They knew; they understood how special Kairi was. Sora's heart was telling him now wasn't the best time to talk, but instead to just enjoy the moment. For a second, Sora thought he felt a tear drop on his shoulder.

Oswald slowly walked over to them with King Mickey at his side.

"Listen Sora, about everything…I'm really sorry," said Oswald sadly.

"Hey it's ok. After everything you've been through, I understand. I'm just glad you're ok now," said Sora.

Oswald then turned to Kairi. "And I'm sorry to you too Kairi. About the fight and bringing you here."

"I'm just happy that you found your light. And it was pretty cool to face another Keyblade wielder," said Kairi happily.

Oswald gave a big smile, one they had never seen and hopefully would always see from here on out.

"Hey fellas, I think we'd better get back to Master Yen Sid's," said King Mickey.

Everyone nodded in agreement but Oswald looked nervous. Slowly they began to walk back to the Gummi Ship. Kairi surprised Sora when she reached out to hold his hand as they walked together. Oswald was looking around the world, seeing all the destroyed buildings and artifacts. But then he began to look at his new friends. Once again he smiled brightly.

**Mysterious Tower **

Oswald stood before Yen Sid in the private study with King Mickey at his side. Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy stood behind trying to tell what Yen Sid's mood was. His eyes were closed as his head hung down.

"Master Yen Sid, I…"

But Yen Sid held his hand up to stop him which surprised everyone. Slowly Yen Sid raised his head and opened his eyes, staring directly at Oswald. Then he slowly began to smile.

"I am so happy to see that you are safe," he said.

Oswald had a very confused look on his face but King Mickey was smiling brightly at him. He then turned to Yen Sid. "Master, Oswald defeated the darkness in his heart and now everything is ok!"

"Look, Master Yen, I just wanted to say…" Oswald tried to speak again but once again Yen Sid stopped him.

"You do not need to say anything Oswald, but I do. I need to start by apologizing to you. I should have never assumed a heart strong as yours would be destroyed by the darkness. I also apologize for not being able to save your world. That is entirely my fault," said Yen Sid.

Everyone remained silent as Yen Sid continued to speak.

"All your years of loneliness, all your years of sadness, I am to blame for all of that."

"But master, you weren't to blame for the darkness in my heart. That was my fault. I was just so jealous…" said Oswald.

"Darkness sleeps in every heart Oswald as I'm sure you remember. But you never acted on yours. Xehanort manipulated you, fed your darkness pure jealously to the point it would take anyone over and attract the Heartless to you. That is why your Keyblade changed to resemble Mickey's; the source of your jealously. But Xehanort underestimated you Oswald. As you proved today, you conquered it as a result your Keyblade return to its original state," explained Yen Sid.

Oswald summoned his Keyblade and looked down on it. He stared at it for minute then slowly placed it on Yen Sid's desk.

"I'm not deserving of the Keyblade. I used it for terrible things when Sora and the others were chasing me. I'm not worthy," said Oswald.

"That's not true."

Everyone was surprised when Kairi spoke and walked over to Oswald then kneeled to be at eye level with him.

"A Keyblade wielder is someone with a strong heart and you have one Oswald. All those years alone and you never once succumbed to the darkness. You could have used its powers at any time to bring destruction but you didn't," she explained.

Oswald and everyone else in the room were now hanging on Kairi's every word.

"Someone once told me that 'the heart may be weak, and sometimes give in. But deep down there is a light that never goes out.' There was that light in your heart that kept you going. You made some mistakes these past couple of days, but everyone does. We forgive you, so now you need to forgive yourself," said Kairi.

Oswald smiled brightly and hugged Kairi tightly. Sora was trying to fight back a tear. She had just quoted something he once said. Funny thing was Kairi wasn't physically there when he said it, so she must have heard it in her heart.

"Well said indeed Kairi. I see no reason for you to give up the Keyblade when there is so much training for you to catch up on," said Yen Sid.

It took Oswald to a minute to process what Yen Sid just said then he jumped, "You mean…"

"I think it would be a good idea for us pick up right where you left off on your training. I can train you and Kairi together," explained Yen Sid.

Oswald hopped around the room happily and everyone was smiling and laughing.

"Thank you Master Yen Sid!" shouted Oswald.

Yen Sid nodded then turned to Kairi.

"I think it would be a wise idea if you and Sora spent some time together before we resume your training. If that is all right with you," said Yen Sid.

Kairi smiled then bowed at Yen Sid thanking him. She ran over to Sora's side smiling at him. Sora was smiling and laughing, still trying to hide a tear in his eye.

King Mickey then walked up to Yen Sid to speak with him.

"Gosh Master, would it be all right if we show Oswald his new home while he waits to begin his training?" asked King Mickey.

"New home?" asked Oswald?

" Yeah, Disney Castle!" said Donald.

"You'll love it Oswald. It's really big and there are lots of people there that will want to be your friend," added Goofy.

"Donald, Goofy…" said Oswald.

"You'll never be alone again Oswald. Ya know, in a way we are brothers and brothers stick together no matter what," said King Mickey.

"Brothers? You and me?" asked Oswald?

"Sure! I mean, we are both apprentices to Yen Sid and have both been around for a long time," explained King Mickey.

"I'm…I'm honored Mickey," Oswald said chocked up.

It was all smiles the rest of the day. Once everyone was done celebrating, they exited the tower for the Gummi Ship. King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Oswald dropped Sora and Kairi off at their home world of the Destiny Islands promising to return soon. They didn't exchanged good-byes, but instead simply said "see ya soon" to each other.

**Destiny Islands**

Sora and Kairi immediately found Riku and filled him in on everything that had happened. After hearing their story, he very much wanted to meet Oswald. Riku knew all too well about giving into the darkness and accepting it. The three of them spent a lot of time together. But eventually, Riku went off to do 'something else' so Sora and Kairi could have some time together.

Sora and Kairi sat at the dock of the island, just like they did over a year ago where Kairi once, in a joke, suggested just her and Sora take a raft to explore the outside worlds. Just like then as well, they watched the sun in the distance.

"Do you think Oswald will be okay?" asked Sora.

"Of course he will. He found his light again and has friends to help him," said Kairi.

Sora smiled. "You know, you really are good at wielding the Keyblade."

"Thanks. Now I can protect you and fight for you, just like you've always done for me," said Kairi.

The sunlight left in the distance seemed to make her glow and the sea breeze was softly blowing her red hair. Sora remembered once again what Serah said back in Neverland but his heart still didn't have the words he needed which meant it still wasn't time yet.

"I still have your lucky charm, if you want it back," Sora finally said to break the silence.

Kairi shook her head. "Keep until this is all over with Xehanort I mean. I always want to be with you no matter what," she answered.

Sora smiled as he leaned back to watch the sunset. He knew soon they would have to return to Yen Sid's tower and Kairi would continue her training alongside Oswald. So right now the most important thing was to make this moment last so it wouldn't seem so bad when they were separated again. He didn't know where the rest of his journey would take him, but as long as he knew he had Kairi at his side, it didn't seem so bad.

**Disney Castle **

A large white castle loomed over a bright, colorful world. Oswald was in amazement as he looked up at it. There were so many towers sticking out and wearing blue rooftops that looked like wizards' hats. The castle seemed to reach the outer limits of the world.

King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all stood by Oswald's side as they took him on a tour of the castle. They explained the entire castle is protected by a special light keeping all dark forces away. Brooms marched up and down the hallways of the castle protecting it and keeping it clean.

The tour ended in the library where Oswald was introduced to Queen Minnie, King Mickey's love, and Donald's girlfriend Daisy. Both were very pleased to meet Oswald.

Oswald turned to King Mickey. "You're not joking? I can live here with you guys?"

"Yep! Well at least when you're not at the tower training with Master Yen Sid and Kairi," said King Mickey happily.

"We'll sure miss you when you're gone," said Donald.

"But when you come back, we'll have a big party to celebrate," said Goofy.

Oswald was beaming with happiness. This was more then he could have ever hoped for. He had a new home at last and was going to continue his training as a Keyblade Master. But there was one thing still on his mind. He looked at King Mickey and Queen Minnie, so happy to see each other.

"Listen Mickey, this is great and everything but…"

"But what?" asked King Mickey?

"I think…I think my friends from my home world may have survived. While we were in the Gummi Ship, I could faintly hear them in the distance. I want to find them and if I do…would they have a home here?" asked Oswald.

"Gosh Oswald, you don't even need to ask. Of course we'll find your friends and when we do they'll have a home here just like you," answered King Mickey.

"Mickey…brother…thank you!" said Oswald and he hoped towards him to hug him.

Oswald was truly happy. All those years of loneliness and sadness were behind him now. He now had a second chance at things and he had new friends and a family to help him. But most importantly of all, he would never be forgotten again. He would never be alone again. At last Oswald the Lucky Rabbit felt lucky again.

**Reconnect Kingdom Hearts**

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey stood before Yen Sid. Next to him were Oswald and Kairi who had restarted their training not too long ago. Yen Sid had summoned them here for some new information.

"Oswald has something you all need to hear," said Yen Sid.

Oswald stepped forward. He was dressed differently. He was wearing an outfit very similar to King Mickey's except his was blue and black in color. He wore a serious expression on his face.

"So you guys know these years of mine can hear all sorts of stuff right?" he asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Well I've been hearing the Heartless go crazy in some worlds and it has me concerned," Oswald explained.

"Several worlds that have not been visited before may be in grave trouble from the Heartless and Sora, I think you, Donald, and Goofy should investigate them," said Yen Sid.

"Garwsh Master Yen Sid, what kind of worlds?" asked Goofy.

Yen Sid used some of his magic to create holograms of worlds on his desk. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey moved closer to look at these worlds. They were indeed worlds none of them had ever visited. One world had a large tower sticking out of it while surrounded by strange golden lights. Hanging out the tower windows looked to be long blonde hair. Another world had a castle with a thick forest around it. Strange blue lights danced around this world. The other world that stuck out most was one that looked to be completely covered in snow and frozen solid.

"So you want us to check out these worlds? No problem!" said Sora.

"Not so fast Sora. While I do want you to investigate them and take care of any Heartless problems, I have another request. I also want you to search for individuals with strong hearts who may be able to assist us in the upcoming war with Master Xehanort. It is time we prepared ourselves anyway we can," explained Yen Sid.

"We can do that!" said Donald.

"Also Sora, Oswald has a request too," said Kairi.

Oswald nodded and walked over to Sora. "I'm not sure, but my ears have also been hearing some of my friends from my home world. I think they may have survived the destruction. The problem is I can't quite tell where they are or if it's even them. Could you please look for me? Especially a cat named Ortensia. She was really special to me and if she's out there…" said Oswald.

"Don't worry Oswald, we'll find your friends and Ortensia," said Sora confidently.

"Thanks Sora, and don't worry! I'll take good care of Kairi while you're gone," said Oswald happily.

"Thanks," said Sora. He looked at Kairi and she looked back at him too.

"See you soon," he said.

"See you soon. Sora, I…" Kairi started to say something but hesitated. Sora was confused by this.

Finally she said with a smile on her face "Come back soon, ok?"

Sora nodded then he Donald and Goofy left the tower leaving King Mickey, Yen Sid, Kairi and Oswald behind. Oswald was all smiles as he watched them leave and then returned to his training with Kairi. He wasn't alone anymore and he would never be again. For the first time in a long time, his heart didn't feel heavy or sad. He would never be forgotten or alone again.

**Reconnect Kingdom Hearts**

Story Completed April 1st, 2015.

Story Started January 11th, 2015


End file.
